PRINCIPAL’S END OF YEAR ASSIGNMENT
REFLECTIONS

Essay Question:
Your school year is winding down to a close. As you think about your experiences, and what you have learned this year, I would like for you to share with me the highlights, friendships, and best learning lessons.

Guidelines:
- You can write a short one-line sentence with a picture if you are in k-1, a paragraph or an essay of up to 300 words if you are in 2-5. An Art Collage, A timeline, or video will be accepted, as well.

Assignment is due to Ms. Smith by June 1st.
(Letter sent home, 4/29/13)

Dear Joaquin Miller Families:

I do apologize for the delay in my correspondence to you all this month. Your patience is much appreciated.
April was a wonderfully busy month. I appreciate my staff for helping to coordinate two very successful school wide events: Family Math and Science Night and the Science Fair. Both events were well attended and engaged. I want to thank the PTA for supporting the Family Math and Science Night event with delicious catered food.

On Wednesday, May 22nd, six of our students will have their science fair projects on display at the Chabot Space and Science Center. This special event to celebrate science is open to all students in OUSD and I highly recommend going.
Congratulations to:
Keith Jeung, Mrs. William’s Class
Amethyst Reber, Ms. Palmer’s Class
Axel Santos, Ms. Green’s Class
Julian Korchin, Ms. Robinson’s Class
Meridith Schley, Ms. Moran’s Class
Jack Ponting, Ms. Scott’s Class

I also want to congratulate Jonah Bloom and Amara Romero for earning 2nd place at the Oakland Unified School District 34th MLK Oratorical Fest 2013!

We have just six weeks left and many end of year events.
Please add these dates to your calendar:

• California Standardized Testing (CST) – April 29-May 9 8:30-11:00 AM
Provide a healthy breakfast
Go to bed earlier than usual
Come to school on time; late arrivals may not enter the class once testing has started. They will have to test at a different time. Please be on time to avoid this frustration.
No cell phones in the testing area; they maybe in the student’s backpack.

• Tuesday, May 21 Career Day!
We are still looking for careers to share with our students. Please use the attached notice to sign up or refer a friend to the event. No job is too small or too big, we want them all! Remember we are planting seeds.

• Wednesday, May 22 School Wide Field Day! Parents please watch your email groups for info on which color t-shirt your child is to wear for this special event celebrating health, fitness, and team work!

• Wednesday, May 22 District Science Fair 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM All are welcome.

• Thursday, May 23 Parent Appreciation Breakfast by the JM Staff, in the AM located in the MPR

• Friday, May 24-May 27 Holiday Break – No School

• Wednesday, May 29 Honoring our Safety Patrol at the Scottish Rite Center 5:30 PM Please come to cheer on our Safety Patrol Team! The more the merrier! Our students and their families have done an excellent job this year!

• Monday, June 10-June 13 are minimum days. June 13th is the last day of school.

• Tuesday, June 11 is the 5th Grade Promotion Ceremony. This event is a standing room only event. Please arrive on time and be considerate of our families with wheel chairs, canes, or elderly family members. Please do not bring balloons in to the MPR, as they obscure the view of the proceedings. This is a special event for our students leaving us for Middle School. Don’t forget the tissue!

Parents I want to share with you a few more points for your consideration. Our cafeteria has a new additional staff person, her name is Ms. Rapunza. She will assist Ms. Lily until the end of the school year.

The Dad’s club has designed a brand new Lost and Found Container System. However, I must say we are losing the war with the lost and found items. Please take time to look through the lost items, anything left behind will be donated. I am looking for a volunteer to haul away everything to the Good Will or other appropriate organization.

As the year winds down, I would like to request that parents have a talk with their children about following school rules, minding the adults, and being kind to their peers. Students must not become violent with others in any manner, not even for “fun”. Words are also important and students must be cordial and kind to others. Put downs, name calling, teasing and the like will cause your child to have a significant consequence. I really appreciate your partnership and support.

Our students are no longer are receiving snacks at 10:00 AM recess. The District has stopped sending the snacks, because of a compliance issue. If you are able to bring in snacks, our students would really appreciate the food. Some students are not eating lunch every day, which is really setting them up for a challenging afternoon. Please pack something for them to eat each day, if they won’t eat in the cafeteria.

Our teachers and I have gotten to know your child well. You should feel confident in our process to properly place your student next year. Please direct any input about placement to your child’s teacher. Teachers will include the additional information in their thought process, but the ultimate decision rests with our staff. The class lists are final when they are published in August and will not be altered during the first six weeks of school.

A new instructional minutes schedule is being developed for next year. A draft schedule will be forth coming. We are excited about some of the adjustments to the schedule and I think you will be too.

Thank you for being a wonderful community. This year is an evaluation year for me. I would really appreciate and value your feedback, testimonial, or stories of how I have made a difference for you, your child, or the school. I also would value any constructive criticism you may have as well. Feel free to email me or place a note in my box.

In the Spirit of the Wolverine Way,

Ms. Smith
Principal

(Letter sent home, 4/29/13)

Dear Joaquin Miller Families,

We have enrolled in the Alameda County Safe Routes to School program and have agreed to assist in their survey efforts.

This email is a reminder that Alameda County Safe Routes to Schools program will be working with us to collect student and parent travel information between April 8th and April 19th.

Please take a few minutes to complete this survey to support the Safe Routes to School initiative. The more responses the better the data!

Here is the link for the parent survey,
in English:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Alameda2013
and in Spanish:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Alameda2013_Spanish

Thank you!
Paulette Smith

March “No Name Calling” Month

Name calling occurs when a person calls another person an insulting word other than their name. Name calling is hurtful and creates an unsafe school atmosphere. My goal is to reduce name calling to Zero! Take the challenge and STOP – THINK – SAY something NICE instead.

This month Joaquin Miller is focusing on respect!

Your mission this month is to creatively express respect at Joaquin Miller.

What is respect?
What does respect look like?

You can create 1 of the following to demonstrate respect:
- a video presentation
- a power point presentation
- an essay
- a drawing

Turn in your presentation to Ms. Smith by 830a on March 22nd

California Healthy Kids Survey:
Congratulations Joaquin Miller students, families and staff, Joaquin Miller made the Triple Crown School Reward List. The results from the survey will help provide OUSD and Joaquin Miller School with information to improve school safety, student health, and our learning environment.

Career Day:
Joaquin Miller Elementary School is holding our 2nd Annual Career Day on Tuesday, May 21st, 2013. I am writing to personally invite you to share information about your job, position, or career with our Kindergarten through Fifth graders.
Career Day is an exciting time for our students to meet community members and learn about potential future paths. At Joaquin Miller, we set this day up to create the opportunity for children to hear first-hand what “grown-ups” do at work. This is our way to plant the seeds for tomorrow, so students can imagine and therefore plan for their desired destiny.
Please consider sharing your job experiences and stories with the students of Joaquin Elementary School. No career or position is too small or insignificant. Our children would love to hear what you do for a living.

GATE Forum:
I know we all are doing our due diligence to discover the best vehicle for our kids to flourish. We’ve all heard of Khan and IXL, but there are more tools out there such as ALEKS and Alcumus to name a few, I also like what I’ve read and watched about Sugata Mitra’s SOLE’s. So the tools are out there, we just need to create the environment for the kids to utilize them in the best way possible. I think we have the interest, resources and stamina to create this program/forum for our kids as well as us.
Parents can join this group by contacting, ken.paskow@gmail.com

Parent/Teacher Conference Time:
These midyear conferences are an ideal time for both teacher and parents to reflect on student progress. It is a time to look back at how the year began, consider a child’s adjustment and progress, and set goals as a parent-teacher-student team for the remainder of the school year, which is 85% over! There are three minimum days allotted for this parent-teacher interaction, March 12, 13, and 14. Appointments are limited and Teachers are asked to prioritize meetings with students currently not meeting the benchmark in Math or/and ELA.

Calling For Help!
I need to ask for more snacks, we are all out! Snack bars, apple sauce, raisins, oatmeal, juice box, etc.

APPRECIATIONS:
Thank you Ms. Gullikson for coordinating our school’s wonderful Family Reading Night! I appreciate all of the parents who pitched into help serve and make the event run smoothly. We had over 275 students and family members attend! Thank you, teachers for joining us and opening your classes for family reading.

Thank you Meredith for assisting the school with Marquee Quotes, thanks to your research, I was able to purchase and install a lovely new Marquee for our school!

Thank you Danielle Robbins for coordinating our terrific school assembly of Lion Dancers and the special fortune cookie treat for each student.

Our Dr. Seuss Celebration was terrific. I want to appreciate District Personnel, Retired Principals, grandparents and school volunteers for reading their favorite story to our students and then giving the gift of books to our school.

Seeking JMPTA Board Nominations for 2013 – 2014
Thank you, to Mrs. Kristina Colbert and Steve Campbell for your commitment and dedication during your 2-year service to the JMPTA. Your thoughtfulness, time, and impact have been amazing and our school has benefited from your leadership!
Over the next two months, we are seeking your input for nominations for the 2013-2014 school years. At this time, we are looking for volunteers to serve in the following positions:
PTA President, Hospitality, Financial Secretary
Please email Ms. Smith if you are interested in joining the board. We need you!

Calendar Events for March:
Mar 5: 4th Grade Writing Assessment
Mar 8: Wolverine Pride Assembly:
Student Presentations include: Waste Management from Jojo and Julian K.; Goal Setting by Hannah P. and Hannah L.; Mission reports from the 4th grade classes; Waste Management Skits from Ms. Moran’s Class; and student presentations from Ms. Meagher’s class.
Mar 12: Tuesday – Parent Conferences. See Teacher’s newsletter regarding the specifics.
Mar 13: Wednesday – Parent Conferences
Pacific Islander Day for 1st Grade in the MPR
Mar 14: Thursday – Parent Conferences.
Mar 20: Drama Class Night Performances
Mar 20: SSC Meeting 5:00 pm Library
Mar 21: PTA Meeting 6:30 pm
Mar 25-31: ** No School – Spring Break **

(Letter sent home, 3/6/13)

Scholastic Book Fair in full swing! Please come out tonight to our special Arthurs visit, extended book fair hours, and head over to the MPR Room to view the 2nd Grade classes Marine Mammal Exhibit!
Special note to parents: Please place money or checks for the book fair in a zip lock bag and put your child’s name on it. Have your student hand the money to his/her teacher for safe keeping. Money should not be stored on or in the student desks or in their backpacks.

California Healthy Kids Survey 2013
Your School Principal & OUSD want to hear what you have to say about our school
We’d like all K-5 parents/guardians, staff, & 5th grade students to take our survey (10mins)
Parent Survey should be completed by all guardians/parents with one or more children at our school.
Joaquin Miller K-5 Parent Survey- accessing your survey instructions

School: Joaquin Miller Elementary
URL: surveys.wested.org/csps/CJ647AA
School Code: XD67JV

Safety Update:
The new push gates have been installed! The framework of the gates was redesigned to fit the new gates. Also, please note that you will find the combo lock on the drive through gate on the weekends. If you need the combination code, please contact Kristina Colbert, PTA President.

SRI – Scholastic Reading Inventory Assessment
For the first time, our 2-5 Graders took the SRI test online in the computer lab. The data shows that 90% of our students scored in the proficient or advanced level and 10% scored below. What we are seeing is that the switch to the online format from the written format has caused some students to score lower than they have in the past. Change in testing procedures, rushing, and focus accounts for some of the discrepancy. We will be looking to see how well the students do with the next round in the spring. Some students whose scores are drastically different will be given the opportunity to retake the assessment.

3rd Grade Raven’s test for GATE
In February, a letter will be sent home notifying parents of their students GATE status. The Raven’s Test is a non‐verbal assessment of visual‐spatial reasoning ability. It assesses a child’s ability to solve visual problems by determining patterns in visual images. All third graders in OUSD are given the opportunity to take the test. The District sends someone to our site to administer the test, and then we receive a spreadsheet with who has been designated as GATE. We will then send home a letter to notify the parents. Unfortunately, the State of California has stopped funding the GATE program for several years now.
Differentiated curriculum is one that regularly provides opportunities for gifted students to experience instructional techniques that address one or more of the following questions about instruction:

Pace: Is the child moving through the curriculum at a pace that insures continuous progress?

Depth: Does the curriculum allow the gifted child to go deeper than the surface of a subject area?

Complexity: Is the gifted child challenged by critical thinking and higher order thinking skills in the classroom?

Product: Does the child have the opportunity to be creative and to apply knowledge to real life situations?

In addition, we have enrichment classes and clubs that are excellent for gifted students such as, Odyssey of the Mind, Foreign languages Take My Word For It, Cooking, Sewing, Lego’s Engineering and the like. Please note that students will stay in their current class. We do not announce to other students about the status, because we don’t want to bring up feelings of failure or superiority. I encourage parents to not make a huge deal at home either, rather you should have conversation about what it means and encourage them to do their best.

I am looking for a parent or a core group of parents who would be interested in starting and facilitating a GATE Parent Forum. Please see me if you are interested.

Calling For Help!
I need to ask for more snacks, we are all out! Snack bars, apple sauce, raisins, oatmeal, juice box, etc.

Calendar Events for February:
Feb 13 Mr. Lemur Assembly
Feb 14 Valentines Day
Feb 18 School Closed – President’s Day
Feb 28 Family Reading Night 5:00 – 6:30 pm School Wide Event, dinner served at 5:00 pm, Author visit, and family reading
time. Each student will get to select a book to keep.
Mar 1 Dr. Seuss’s Birthday – Read Across America Day – District Personnel will come to JM to read with our classes and gift a
book to the class!
Mar 5 4th Grade California State Writing Assessment, Attendance is important!

(Letter sent home, 2/12/13)

Hi JM Families,

I would like to pass along to you this great opportunity for JM students.
If your student wants to participate, go to the links in the message.

Ms. Smith

Green Kids Conference Invites Abstracts for Science Poster Presentations From Jr. Scientists and Innovators
Conference Date: June 1st, 2013
Location: Microsoft Silicon Valley Campus
1065 La Avenida St, Bldg 1, Mountain View, CA—94043
Time: 11:00 AM to 3:30 PM

Topics: Experiments and Research work in any environmental related area pertaining to saving the earth, and green living.

Applicants must be children under 18 years of age as of June 1, 2013.

Download entry form from www.greenkidsconference.org

Apply before March 1, 2013.
Send the completed entry form to:
info@greenkidsconference.org

We encourage you to showcase your model/prototype/sample along with your poster on June 1st, 2013.

Awards and Prizes:
Participation Award of $200 will be awarded to up to ten groups/entries

Competitive entries would be judged and offered winning prizes
* $800 for 1st prize * $600 for 2nd prize * $400 for 3rd prize

Green Kids Conference – Jr. Scientists and Innovators Section!

“Encouraging our next generation to responsibly innovate”
Innovation and Environmental Sustainability should not be considered separately. Most of the issues we are seeing today with us not knowing how to use our raw materials and how to dispose of an item properly- like plastics, are because when people created products they did not consider these things. But now we know from our mistakes and from the issues we are currently facing today, that the right way is for us to think about environmental sustainability from the beginning of creating any product or solution.

“Environmental etiquette is the new norm for innovation”

Purpose of Jr. Scientists and Innovators section: To encourage kids to focus on science and innovation, and emphasize that environmental sustainability must be in the heart of everything we do.

Event Sponsor and Partners

* Microsoft
* Acterra
* SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
* Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

(emailed via room parents, 2/11/13)

Hello Joaquin Miller Families!
Your School Principal & OUSD want to hear what you have to say about your school
It is time to complete the California Healthy Kids Survey for JM! Our school’s goal is 100% participation and we are shooting for the Triple Crown Winner Goal. This means that I need all K-5 parents/guardians, staff, & 5th grade students to complete the 10 min survey.

Parent Survey should be completed by all guardians/parents with children at our school. Parents with multiple students, please send a note to each child’s teacher, letting them know you have completed the survey. You only need to do one survey per family.

If you are taking the on-line survey for tracking purposes, I ask that you either email or send a note to your child’s teacher to let them know that you took the online survey. If you prefer to take the paper survey and have not received one, ask your child’s teacher to provide one to you and please return the survey to your child’s teacher. Please note the paper survey does come in different languages if needed.

We are having a CHKS class challenge. All classes with 90% participation, will receive a 100% Juice Popsicle Treat from Ms. Smith.

Thank you in advance for taking this important survey. Remember the survey results are posted on our school’s sites school site plan. You can read our school’s site plan on the District’s Home Page, under schools. Look for CSSSP link and then select our school.

Ms. Smith

ON-line access to Joaquin Miller K-5 Parent Survey:

Please visit:
URL: surveys.wested.org/csps/CJ647AA

School: Joaquin Miller Elementary
School Code: XD67JV

Take the survey only once… either here online or on the paper that your child will bring home to you. Thank you!

Purpose of Survey:
The information you provide will help guide district and school efforts to promote safety, improve learning supports, improve student achievement, and reduce health risks that stand as barriers to learning.

This is a confidential survey. It is designed so that parents cannot be identified.
Your participation is voluntary.
All questions apply to this school only.
The results are for the use of your school .

Description:
This survey obtains Parent perceptions of staff behavior and attitudes, school programs and policies, and the overall Community School Climate as they relate to student well-being and learning. It deals with how well the school is serving your child.
*The survey is aligned to the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS), and the California School Staff Survey

(Surveys went home, 1/31/13)

Dear Parents and Families,

I wanted to share with you some helpful school related information.

3rd – 5th Grade Spelling Bee Competition on January 31, 2013 at 10:15 in the MPR Room.
Limited parent seating available.
Participating Students:
3rd Grade:
Jacob A., Ben E., Ehan C., Henry F., Isiah N., Rachel P., Elsie P., Aidan R., Noelani W., Tomo T., Jojo B., Julian K., Miko J., Toby Y.
4th Grade:
Rosa G., Lauryn H., Amethyst R., Jonah B., Aliyah S., Sabrina S., Samantha I., Danielle S.
5th Grade:
Catie F., Dylan H., Jaylen A., Jack P., Riley S., Ellie R., Meredith S., Claire J., Jackson W., Jared D.

3rd Graders will compete against other 3rd Graders. 4th and 5th Graders will be in the same competition. We will follow the Spelling Bee Rules and all students have been trained. Congratulations to all of our Spelling Bee School Participants!

Safety Update:
The new push gates have been installed! The framework of the gates were redesigned to fit the new gates. We have submitted a request to add a handle or a way to prop the gate open in the morning. Also, please note that you will find the combo lock on the drive through gate on the weekends. If you need the combination code, please contact Kristina Colbert, PTA President.
We are working on putting together permanent volunteer badges for people who come in regularly to volunteer. When this system is up and running you will just sign a sheet of paper and grab the badge.

SRI – Scholastic Reading Inventory Assessment
For the first time, our 2-5 Graders took the SRI test online in the computer lab. The data shows that 90% of our students scored in the proficient or advanced level and 10% scored below. What we are seeing is that the switch to the online format from the written format, has caused some students to score lower than they have in the past. Change in testing procedures, rushing, and focus accounts for some of the discrepancy. We will be looking to see how well the students do with the next round in the Spring. Some students who’s scores are drastically different will be given the opportunity to retake the assessment.

3rd Grade Raven’s test for GATE
In February, a letter will be sent home notifying parents of their students GATE status. The Raven’s Test is a non‐verbal assessment of visual‐spatial reasoning ability. It assesses a child’s ability to solve visual problems by determining patterns in visual images. All third graders in OUSD are given the opportunity to take the test. The District sends someone to our site to administer the test, and then we receive a spreadsheet with who has been designated as GATE. We will then send home a letter to notify the parents. Unfortunately, the State of California has stopped funding the GATE program for several years now.
Differentiated curriculum is one that regularly provides opportunities for gifted students to experience instructional techniques that address one or more of the following questions about instruction:

Pace: Is the child moving through the curriculum at a pace that insures continuous progress?

Depth: Does the curriculum allow the gifted child to go deeper than the surface of a subject area?

Complexity: Is the gifted child challenged by critical thinking and higher order thinking skills in the classroom?

Product: Does the child have the opportunity to be creative and to apply knowledge to real life situations?

In addition, we have enrichment classes and clubs that are excellent for gifted students such as, Odyssey of the Mind, Foreign languages Take My Word For It, Cooking, Sewing, Lego’s Engineering and the like. Please note that students will stay in their current class. We do not announce to other students about the status, because we don’t want to bring up feelings of failure or superiority. I encourage parents to not make a huge deal at home either, rather you should have conversation about what it means and encourage them to do their best.

I am looking for a parent or a core group of parents who would be interested in starting and facilitating a GATE Parent Forum. Please see me if you are interested.

FRIDAY, FEB. 1 No School for students – Teacher Work Day

Calling For Help!
I need to ask for more snacks, we are all out! Snack bars, apple sauce, raisins, oatmeal, juice box, etc.
Also, there is a downed tree log on Ascot blocking the path after the Freeway. It causes an unsafe walking path for our students. A volunteer is needed to hoist it over the fence.

Finally, our new Marquee Sign has arrived at the High Street Warehouse . It looks fantastic and B&G will install it for us.
Thank you for all of your support and kind words. Joaquin Miller is a great school, because we are a great community!

Paulette Smith
Principal of Joaquin Miller Elementary School
Oakland Unified School District

(letter sent home, 1/30/13)

Thank you to all the students who participated in this year’s Martin Luther King Oratorical.

Finalists:
1st Place – Jonah Bloom – Calvin, God and Symphonic Harmony
2nd Place – Amara Romero – Mother to Son
3rd Place – Clair Jackson, Noelle So, Sofia Williams, & Natalie Peter – Colors

Special Honorable Mention to:
Mikia Combs – Ain’t I a Women
Emily Hornig – Harriet Tubman