June 11, 2010- A Message from the Office of Paulette Smith

Dear Joaquin Miller Students and Families:

It has been a terrific school year.  Alas, it will be difficult to watch all of you go off to your vacation for the summer.  It has been great fun learning the names and personalities of 363 Joaquin Miller students!  I was told by many students at the beginning of the year that JM is a very special place, and I have to say their vision became my new reality.  I am so proud to be the principal of our school’s community.  This year we have focused upon school climate, building community, environmental and social concerns, and providing a balanced curriculum.  We added several new programs such as, Safety Patrol, the Green Team, Grandparent’s Day, the Holiday Bazaar, and special school-wide activities and events.  Our Caring School Community Program effort was tremendously successful.  Students learned the value of communication, empathy, and bullying awareness.  We loved having the special Buddies program this year.  We will continue to implement the CSC program next year and we are planning even better school wide activities to build community.  I have seen first hand the warm generosity of our students, families, teachers, and staff and how that support has enhanced our school.  Everyone gives their heart and soul to make this school an AMAZING place to learn and to grow.

I wanted to update you all with more information about transitions that will be taking place as we end this year and begin the upcoming school year.  As you know, transitions are a normal part of the life of any organization, including our school.  We work to support people as they choose their next steps in their education/life/work journey.  We are also responsible for having a clear vision, theory of action and providing the support to enable new staff to successfully come aboard.

I thank you for joining me in appreciating the service, leadership and contributions of all who are leaving and for welcoming and supporting all who are joining the JM team.  In doing our best work for students, our greatest asset is our people!

WITH MANY THANKS TO:

• Jacquline Treese – 2^nd Grade Teacher
  After 10 years of service, Jackie will be leaving on her well deserved retirement.  We know that she and her husband have many plans to relax and travel.  We wish you well.

• Carolyn Jones – EEIP Teacher
  Ms. Jones has been a very important part of our community over the years; she will move on to a different school next year.

WELCOME TO JM:

• Suzanna Mori – Kindergarten Teacher
  Ms. Mori has been in the District for many years, she most recently spent time in the Adult Ed Department.  She has experience as a Kindergarten teacher and we are very pleased that she will be joining us.

• Sue Morgan – EEIP Teacher
  Ms. Morgan has been a prep teacher at Glenview and Sequoia Elementary; she will be joining our team two days a week.  She has extensive background in teaching science and ecology to students of diverse backgrounds.  She will be an excellent addition to our staff.

Best regards,
Paulette Smith, Principal

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Star testing Information
Parents should expect CST ELA and Math results to arrive in the mail, in August.  These scores provide you with a broad picture about your child’s academic progress as demonstrated on a standardized test.  The data sheet also lets the family know about their child’s recommended reading level, and they provide a link to a book list for that reading level.

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SUMMER LEARNING PROGRAM AT JM
If you are enrolled in our program this summer, we will see you on June 29, 2010 at 8:30 AM.  Our staff will include the following educators:

• Ms. Smith, Principal
• Ms. Harper, Attendance Clerk
• Mr. Jackson, Custodian
• Ms. Henry (Crocker Highlands), Teacher
• Ms. Savage, Teacher
• Ms. Hill-Roy, Teacher
• Ms. Chanter (Montclair) Teacher
• Ms. Green, Teacher

We are really looking forward to an intensive, but fun program for the students.  Thank you for participating in this year’s Summer Learning Program.  I would like to thank the Oakland Unified School District for supporting this special Area Program for our students.

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MOVING? NOT RETURNING NEXT YEAR?
If you know that your child is not returning to Joaquin Miller for the 2010-2011 school year, please let us know so that we can give you the appropriate paper work to take to the new school.  This information also helps us to plan class configurations for next year.  If you are not moving, you do not need to do anything.  We will see you on August 28, 2010 for registration day!  Please visit the JM Website for details.

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Kindergarten Registration
If you have a student entering kindergarten in the fall, please ensure that immunizations and health reports are complete.  The District mandates that this information is current and presented at the time of registration before enrollment can be completed.  Avoid delays by having all of the required documents!

Registration Day is Saturday, August 28, 2010.
Times and information are listed on our wonderful JM website.

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Graduation Promotion Ceremony is Wednesday, June 16, 2010 at 2:00 PM.   I am truly excited about this opportunity to promote our young ladies and gentlemen to middle school and beyond.  They have a special place in my heart, because this is my first promoting class of my career as principal of JM.  I can’t tell you how much I have enjoyed getting to know each of them.  They have demonstrated excellence in both academics and in personal growth.  This class is talented, athletic, and each student has developed their own unique style while still maintaining a very connected family amongst their class.

I would like to appreciate the families of these students for their dedication, commitment and support over the years.  Your involvement has meant a world of difference for both your child and our school.  Thank you from my heart.

Ms. Smith

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Counseling Services
Individual therapeutic services will continue during the Summer Learning Program.  Ezri Chioma is very excited to offer this resource to our families and students.  Please contact her directly to arrange times.  I appreciate Ms. Chioma for her outstanding commitment and service to our boys and girls this year.  She has really made a difference in their lives this year.

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A special written story by Claire, Kiara, Ryan, Kayla, Meredith and David in Mrs. Green’s class:

Chippy the Squirrel

Chippy is a squirrel.  When it’s a rainy day recess, he rules the playground.  He eats out of the trash can.  When it’s raining his tail spikes up and he hides under the water fountain.  Suddenly, a crow swooped down and landed on the trash can.  My classmates and I watched Chippy.  A Crow flew away.  Chippy went back under the water fountain, and then Chippy started eating an apple core.  The crow flew down, and Chippy jumped.  The Crow almost hit Chippy.  The Crow flew away, and Chippy ran away.

On a rainy day in our class, we wrote this true story.

Dear Joaquin Miller Families:

            Spring is here and the remaining months will pass by quickly!  We want to be sure that you have the most up-to-date information.  The JM Mid Year Climate Survey has closed.  Thank you for taking the time to share with us your thoughts, concerns, accolades, and suggestions.  We will share the results at the next PTA meeting in May. 

                                                            Kind regards,

                                                            Ms. Smith

Class Photos

Class photos were taken on March 23, 2010.  Many of you were able to send back your order request for the class photo.  However, we realized that some families may have missed their chance to order.  Please don’t worry about the paper order forms.  The Class photos can be purchased on the online site at www.mugsyclicks.com.  The style of the photos will be very different from what you are used to, but I think you will be delighted.

Safety Supplies

We have received some emergency supplies for the school from families in the past week.  We still need more of the items on the list.  Our web host, Deidre will post the list of needed supplies on our terrific website.  Your donations are very needed and appreciated!  The Safety Committee will meet in April to start refilling the “Red” Emergency Bags in the classrooms.

Use your voice Survey

The District Use Your Voice Survey has been sent home for parents to complete.  Last year we only had 90 families participate.  This year we are shooting for 100% of our families to participate.  This very important survey is different from the more tailored survey that we provided at our school.  The District Survey has a more broad scope of questions that allow the school sites to get a clear picture about how parents and students feel about their school and the District.  All 2-5 Graders will take this survey during school hours.    Thank you in advance for your cooperation!

 AFTER SCHOOL ENRICHMENT

I am aware that the Spring Enrichment has had some difficulties.  I want to state that this year is a learning curve for me, and I do take full responsibility for the scheduling issues that have caused some of the classes to be cancelled or moved to a different location.  I plan to work closely with the Parent Volunteers who work so hard to provide a seamless enrichment experience for your child to iron out the concerns.  Our enrichment classes are provided by amazing vendors each with their own set of strengths and weaknesses around communication and organization.  We are putting some new systems in place to better support them with their communication to parents and teachers for next year.  I understand your concerns, but I hope that you will give us an opportunity to resolve issues in a positive and timely manner.  I would like to thank Mel and Dana for their tremendous effort to ensure that our families have after school choices.

RAISING HAPPINESS EVENT WITH CHIRSTINE CARTER

Please join us in the Multi-purpose Room on March 25, 2010 at 7:00 pm for an informative talk on how to raise healthy, happy and confident children. 

JM SCIENCE FAIR IS MARCH 31! 

Families are invited to view and learn about the science experiments by our students.  The experiments will be on display in the Multi-Purpose Room all day until 6:00 pm!  Our Science chairs this year are Ms. Moran and Ms. Robinson.  If you have any questions, please feel free to drop them a note. 

Joaquin Miller Parent News – September 2, 2009

Dear Joaquin Miller Families:

Our year has gotten off to a great start!  Students are working hard on building Class Community, learning classroom procedures and rules, and beginning to dig into our rich curriculum.  I want to appreciate our teachers and staff for their tireless efforts to get our program up and running like a fine instrument.  The letters from the students to me are coming in, and I am enjoying reading each of them.  Their letters are a great way for me to get to know each student on a personal level.

HOLIDAY
Please have a safe and fun three day weekend this Labor Day.  There is no school on Monday, September 7, 2009.

PARKING
I have to say the parking situation has been pretty good.  Thank you to all of the parents who are following the path of least resistance and for keeping the flow moving.  In my observations, I noticed that parents are parking in staff spaces.  Staff parking spaces are labeled by their room numbers.  If their spot is not open, they cannot greet your students when the bell rings.  Please do not park in the numbered spaces, as tempting as it may seem.  I would also like to ask that pedestrians use the cross-walk to move to the school building instead of through the parked cars.  We want to promote safety first!  I have enjoyed monitoring the parking situation, and it is great to be greeted by smiles and waves of eager children ready for school.

LUNCH
Many parents have inquired into the lunch program at our site.  We currently offer lunch only, every day.  Lunch costs are differentiated based upon family income qualification.  A full pay lunch is $2.25; a reduced lunch is $0.40.  Milk with out a meal is available for $0.40.  Lily Yiu, our District Cafeteria Coordinator is able to take prepaid checks or cash for lunches.  For example, you can write a check for 10 lunches by making a check out to “OUSD Nutrition Services” for the amount and notate on the check your child’s name and room number(s).  Ms. Yiu will keep a record of the balance and send home a friendly reminder to add money to the account via a note home through your child’s teacher.

Salad Bar is coming back to JM on September 14, 2009!  The salad bar is an addition to the meal that is offered and does not cost the children extra money to enjoy.  Clean up is an issue for both buyers and home lunch students.  We ask that children pick up their trash before moving to recess.  I would also recommend that you use a permanent marker to identify your child’s lunch bag and related containers.  Thank you for your support.

FOOD ALLERGIES
I am including a letter and two informational articles describing our food policy, and the reasoning behind the need for a food policy.  I would like to personally request that as a school community, who believes in promoting inclusiveness, that we embrace the food policy.

Joaquin Miller respects our students’ right to pursue an education in a safe and conducive learning atmosphere free from any form of discrimination.

SHOUT OUTS
I want to appreciate the PTA and Dad’s Club for the tremendous effort on TLC Day and on our Registration Kick-Off Event!  I also want to thank the many families and students who participated in making our school ready for the first day.  This was a powerful show of community!  Let’s keep the momentum going!

Upcoming Events

Thursday, September 10, 2009 — Back To School Night
This event starts at 6:00 PM in the Multi-Purpose Room.  Please make arrangements for someone to watch your student(s), as this is an adult only experience.  Teachers are excited about sharing with you their classroom expectations, curriculum, and plans.  Thank you in advance for your cooperation and attendance.  If you have more than one child, go to the classroom you want to focus in on and then drop by the other classrooms to get materials.

Sunday, September 13, 2009 — Back To School Picnic
This event runs from 12 NOON to 5:00 PM, at the Diablo Vista site located in Roberts Park.  This is a great tradition at JM for families to reconnect and to make new connections after a long summer.  We hope that you will bring the family and join us for fun in the sun JM style!  Pack your blanket and other picnic equipment.  The food is provided by our Wonderful Dad’s CLUB!  Way to go Dads!

Thursday, September 17, 2009 — SSC
Parents please join us at 6:00 PM, in the Library for our first School Site Council Meeting of 2009-2010 school year.  We will be looking at this year’s budget, school data, and school focus.

Thursday, September 17, 2009 — PTA
Parents please join us at 7:00 PM in the Multi-Purpose Room for our first Parent/Teacher Association Meeting of 2009-2010.  We will be reviewing the year’s events and activities.  The PTA is a forum for parents and teachers to have a dialogue to address the needs of the school as a collective.  It is very important that your voice is heard!

Wednesday, September 30, 2009 — Family Reading Night
This is a school-wide event to support reading!  The Oakland Parent Literacy Project has allowed us to participate in their terrific Family Reading Night Program.  Families come to read with their student(s), select a book to keep and everyone enjoys a slice of pizza, veggies and a drink together.  This is fully paid for by the organization.  We look forward to see our families participate in the event.  We will also be hosting a multi-cultural Book Fair on site that night by Ashay by the Bay.  This is a great opportunity to add a variety of themed books that will add diversity to our classroom libraries.  Please look for more information on how to purchase these lovely stories.

Friday, October 2, 2009 — Joaquin Miller Annual Raffle
The JM Student Raffle will kick-off on October 2. The raffle is our students’ opportunity to help raise money for their own school. Proceeds from the raffle, combined with proceeds from our annual Fall Auction, have helped the PTA provide our students with vital programs, including our school library, PE, art and music education, our computer lab, aides for our teachers, and facilities maintenance. Your student will be bringing home a packet with raffle ticket sheets in October and sales of raffle tickets will earn your student fun and fabulous prizes. So, encourage them to sell, sell, and sell!

Respectfully Yours,

Paulette Smith
Principal of Joaquin Miller
Home of the Wolverines

to the Joaquin Miller Elementary School website. I am thrilled to be the new Principal of Joaquin Miller.

This year will be a mosaic of learning, exploring, connecting and growing for all our boys and girls. We have an awesome and dedicated staff ready to provide your child with a unique and rigorous educational experience. My vision for Joaquin Miller students includes fostering confidence and compassion as we nurture the potential and curiosity of each individual in a safe, respectful learning environment.

I look forward to meeting many of you whom I have not had the privilege to meet yet at our Coffee, Tea and Me Event on August 31, 2009!

Your principal,

Paulette Smith