Please visit the Principal’s Blog for an invitation from Mrs. Smith to participate in the School Site Council (SSC). The year’s first meeting is September 14th at 4pm. You can learn more about the School Site Council on our website here.
Archive for the ‘Volunteering’ Category
Principal Smith invites you to the School Site Council (SSC)
Tuesday, September 7th, 2010Room Parents Still Needed
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010We still need Room Parents for the following Teachers — (updated Sept. 5)
- 1 for Ms. Scott
- 1 for Ms. Meagher
- 2 for Ms. Williams
- 1 for Ms. Green
- 1 for Ms. Robinson
- 1 for Ms. Moran
JM teachers and your children need you to volunteer as a Room Parent. This is the perfect opportunity especially if you can’t participate during school hours.
There can be up to four Room Parents per class. You can be a Room Parent even if your child(ren) is(are) not in that class.
Be a Super Star!
As Room Parent Coordinator you play a very important role in the classroom: you are the liaison between teacher and parents.
You will help organize and recruit volunteers for various school activities: Halloween Party, Valentine’s Day Party, Year End Party, Phone Tree, Class Contribution for the Auction, Walkathon, Updating Emergency Info/Supplies, and E-scrip and Scrip program.
JM parents are helpful and supportive. Because of this, many of the jobs you are responsible for recruiting are usually filled at Back to School Night. You can do the rest of the recruiting by telephone.
Please look for the sign-up sheets are on the bulletin board outside the office so you can sign up when you drop off or pick up your child this week. Feel free also to drop me an email or just give me a call.
Thank you in advance for your help!
Ruth Soderback
Room Parent Coordinator
510-846-4746
euwdoggie@yahoo.com
Volunteers Needed!
Thursday, August 19th, 2010There are many opportunities to volunteer in upcoming days and weeks, from helping to spruce up our school at this weekend’s TLC day, to joining the Green Team to create a school that is more sustainability conscious, to stuffing envelopes for our biggest fundraiser, the Fall Auction. Learn about all our projects in need of your help on the Volunteers Needed page.
A reminder: JM TLC Day is this Saturday!
Wednesday, August 18th, 2010Last summer we spent a summer day getting Joaquin Miller ready for another year of learning and growth. It was hard work, and fun, and community-building — and we’re thus going to do it again this year.
Join us in sprucing up the school garden and more in time for the start of school. We’ll spend a good part of August 21 — likely 10-2 — weeding, painting, organizing, cleaning — and meeting new friends and fellow school community members.
Pop by if you can help out — we look forward to seeing you then!
Back-to-School Packets!
Sunday, August 8th, 2010Hope everyone’s summer is going well!
As you know, you will be able to pick up your Back-to-School Packets starting Monday, August 16th.
Ever wonder how those 300+ packets come to be? Is it…
- Ms. Smith & Ms. Thornton locked in their office working their fingers to the bone?
- the PTA Board descending on the Fee home, putting Mike, Karen and all 3 Fee children to work?
- the Packet Prep elves fueled by enormous amounts of coffee & chocolate?
Could be all or none of the above.
If you’d like to know for sure, come to the school Friday, August 13th from 9:30-12:00! The first 15 RSVP’s to tomandjennturner@yahoo.com will be guaranteed a spot in the “Packet Prep Inner Circle”.
Best, Your PTA Board
PTA Summer Update
Thursday, July 29th, 2010Hello fellow JM parents!
At our July JMPTA Board meeting, we transitioned our amazing outgoing members and welcomed our 2010-11 team. We are all excited and eager to make this year great for all of our families and students at JM. We wanted to be sure to communicate a few key messages to you. Please read through the messages below. The JM website is a great place to get updates on upcoming events. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Best,
The PTA Board
Principal Smith
DON’T MISS TLC DAY!
JM TLC Day, when we spend time preparing the school and building community, is coming up! Please join us AUGUST 21, 11 A.M. TO 3 P.M., ready to work. We’ll provide lunch and drinks; all you need to bring is yourselves and your kids, ready to make the school look (even) better! We’ll send out a list of projects and needed tools in advance of the day; for now, please just save the date!
REGISTRATION DAY
This year our big push to register all our students will happen on SATURDAY, AUGUST 28. Here’s how this will work:
-School registration packets and PTA Membership Forms will be available for pickup in the main office starting Monday, August 16, 2010.
-On Saturday the 28th, staff and parent volunteers will be at school to collect your forms and answer your questions. At the end of the registration process you will receive your child’s class (teacher) placement.
-New kindergarten families may register during the week of August 23 or on Saturday the 28th, 9:00 and 10:30 a.m. Your child’s class placement has been sent to you in the mail.
-Parents with 1st-5th graders should come to school Saturday the 28th between 10:30 and 2:30 pm.
-If you are not able to drop your packet off that day, we ask that you send it with a friend; if that doesn’t work; you can always bring it to the office the first week of school.
NEW THIS YEAR: MINIMUM DAYS THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL
The first five days of school will be minimum (short) days, ending at 12:55 for kindergartners and 1:25 for everyone else. Joaquin Miller’s annual minutes of instruction far exceed the district and state minimums, and we’ll thus spend the first week getting back into the daily swing of things at a pace everyone will appreciate, while providing teachers time to collaborate and plan. Adventure Time is aware of this change, and they are prepared to provide additional child care to families every day that week.
Mark Your Calendars (If you haven’t already): JM TLC Day – August 21
Friday, July 16th, 2010Hello everyone,
Well — we won’t have to paint the school! I’m looking out at our GREEN school (all too apropos) — but there’s still plenty of work to be done.
For those of you who are new to our community: Last summer we spent a summer day getting Joaquin Miller ready for another year of learning and growth. It was hard work, and fun, and community-building — and we’re thus going to do it again this year.
For now, please mark your calendars: we’ll spend a good part AUGUST 21 — likely 10-2 — weeding, painting, organizing, cleaning — and meeting new friends and fellow school community members.
Also, please contact me at mike@teamfee.com if you’re interested in serving as a project leader. This would require you to gather tools ahead of time, show up a bit early and be on-site to coordinate volunteers. We’ll need 5-7 leaders.
Finally, let me know if you have recommendations for projects to take on! For now the Dads’ Club will be renovating the teachers’ kitchen, librarian Cindy Gullikson has requested some work in the library — and there’s always work in the garden to be done!
I look forward to meeting all of you on the 21st.
Best,
Mike Fee
Joaquin Miller PTA President
mike@teamfee.com
JM Yard Sale Wrap-Up and Thank You
Wednesday, June 16th, 2010WOW! Thanks so much to the JM community!! This year’s Yard Sale was a huge success! The Yard Sale and Spring Fair shared the day, the weather was beautiful, and the JM community showed up in force! Our wonderful Dad’s Club provided delicious food, and the Spring Fair Coordinators and volunteers created a memory-filled day for the kids.
Thank you to Ms. Smith for making the MPR available, thank you to Mel Evans for relocating all the Enrichment classes, thank you to Mr. Jackson for set-up and takedown. Thank you to the JM Dad’s Club for arriving early to make sure our shoppers and volunteers had quality sustenance! Thank you to the Spring Fair Coordinators for working so easily with us, this was such fun, we hope to do it together next year!
And finally, a huge shout out to our wonderful volunteers. You were not only immensely helpful, but such fun to work with! Big Thanks to Patty Scanlon, Nancy Caton, Jackie Oberly, Mika Max, Karen Bloom, Natalie Potter, Karen Loughran, Paul Boitano, Christine So, Ruth Soderback, Chris Christ, Meri Soll, Lynn Mladjov, Jo Ann Cooper-Campbell, Jodie Ruland, Nancy Schneidinger, Tony and Kelly Jonick, Keith Bizzack, Louisa Waldner, Rebecca Petty, Kristen Nicholas, Sujata Neurgaonker, and Michele Tiernan.
Last but not least, a big thank you to JM Alumni Julia Gullikson, Emma Bizzack, and Anya Ku as well as current JM students Blythe Rinehart-Pimentel, Georgie Pease, Ryan Christ, Rudy Byles, and Margarita Ku.
All your hard work helped raise $4300 for your school! Congratulations!
Big thanks from the whole yard sale team!
Anna Bizzack, Arlene Pimentel, and Liz Wardman
JM Safety Patrol Earns Rookie of the Year Award
Wednesday, June 16th, 2010Congratulations to the members of JM’s new safety patrol! On May 26th, members of our safety patrol joined hundreds of kids from safety patrols all across Oakland for the 82nd Annual Oakland Police Department Safety Patrol Ceremony. Each squad was recognized by officers from the Oakland Police Department for their commitment to safety on their school campus. Joaquin Miller was also recognized for being the best new / rookie squad in Oakland. It was a great ceremony and a privilege for our kids to participate. Ms. Smith and several families were in attendance. Our school’s safety patrol trophies are now proudly on display in the office. Thank you to Ms. Smith, John Campbell and the parent volunteers who have helped to establish our safety patrol program, and a special shout out to the kids on the safety patrol who showed up each week to ensure that our new drop off program was safe and efficient.
Library News
Wednesday, June 16th, 2010YEAH FOR VOLUNTEERS: The library could not function without the commitment made by our volunteers to staff each class, each week. Come volunteer in the fall; no experience necessary! I am very grateful to the following volunteers: Colleen Sanford, Stephanie Eckhaus, Karen McClinchey, Kristin Nicholas, Joann Fazio, Allison Justice, Tracy Hughes, Lisa Brown, Laura Hubbard, Erik Hubbard, Mika Max, Liz Wardman, Debbie Fong, Joan Korin, Karen Bloom, Glenda Cheng, Cindi Goodsell, Lynn Mladjov, Gail Louis, Tina Lo, Aly Weir, Tammy Kutlik, Milena Geary, Hope Salzer, Nora Schweizer, David Schweizer, Jessica Lee, Josie Jesser, Charisse Hampton, Maya Ewing, Monique Smith, Antonio Gamez, Jennifer Kaufman, Chris Sommers, Maria Orfanos, Janet Parrish, Susan Dovi, Meri Soll, Dolly Bahrami, Lauren Penney, Carolyn Anteneh, and Luci McNulty.
CYRM: We enjoyed another year of participating in the California Young Reader Medal program in all grades. After hearing a series of books read aloud in the library, students voted for their favorite. Our lunch-time book groups (grades 3-5) also read the Intermediate and Middle School novels. The following students completed all three novels in the Intermediate category: Katherine Purev, Jordan Reilly, Grant Griffin, Keegan Pfeiffer, Hannie Ross, Margarita Ku, Katie Nicholas, Mikayla Nicholas, Carly Mandel, Leah Treidler, and Skylar Scott. The following 5th graders read all three middle school novels: Keegan Pfeiffer, Hannie Ross, Avery Huetter, Leah Treidler, Margarita Ku, and Linnea Gullikson. Great job JM Readers! You voted along with half a million students to select the state winners:
Picture Book: Millie Waits for the Mail by Alexander Steffensmeier
Intermediate: No Talking by Andrew Clements
Middle School: Alabama Moon by Watt Key
Picture book for Older Readers: Owney: the Mail Pouch Pooch, by Mona Kerby
SUMMER READING: It’s important for our kids to keep up all the vocabulary, reading speed, and comprehension gains they’ve made this school year by reading over the summer. So head on down to the Oakland Public Library, sign up for their summer reading program called Make a Splash, and encourage your children to choose some books they will enjoy. Sign-ups have already begun. The program continues until August 14. New prizes this year include Fentons ice cream and Pasta Pomodoro. I told each student to hang on to their reading log and bring it back this fall for an additional little prize from the JM Library (any kind of log works for me).
MORE OPL: Visit the main branch downtown this summer. They have a huge manga/comics section in the children’s room on the ground floor and upstairs in the Teen Zone.
The Montclair Branch has a new children’s librarian, Miriam Medow. This is great news for a position that has been vacant for a while. Miriam visited most of our classrooms last week to kick off summer reading. Oakland Public Library can be found online at oaklandlibrary.org. You can reserve titles online to be held at a branch convenient to you.
JM LIBRARY WEB PAGE: I have added links to several good reading lists for kids. The Multnomah County (Oregon) library system offers lists by grade, genre, and Quick Picks for new books. Start at joaquinmiller.org, select JM Library on the right side, and bookmark this page for the future. You’ll also find up-to-date lists by grade from Santa Monica/Malibu school district.
A NEW MOVIE based on Beverly Cleary’s Ramona series opens on July 23rd . Ramona and Beezus is based on Cleary’s classic book Beezus and Ramona with big sister Beezus played by Selena Gomez. What a great opportunity to rediscover all the Ramona classics like Ramona Quimby, Age 8, Ramona and Her Mother, and other favorites like The Mouse and the Motorcycle. I am also looking forward to reading The Red Pyramid (Kane Chronicles) a new series from Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief author Rick Riordan about Egyptian mythology.
Masae Ahn and I wish you all Happy Summer Reading,
Cindy Gullikson, JM Librarian
cindy.gullikson@consultant.ousd.k12.ca.us
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