In case you are planning your late summer and fall, see the 2008-2009 calendar
Curious about PTA spending? See the budget.
Also, I noted the May 1 balloting deadline for site council.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
April 12th Duveneck Dispatch
You probably didn't know this or think of this, but the Duveneck Dispatch has different versions for web and print.
A big advantage of the print edition is that the limited distribution means that we have less security worries.
For the web, however, we have to remove photos and names/addresses. Often, we don't get the time to do so. So, we'll post the April 12th version, if/when we find the time to do so. For now, check your child's backpack or that big pile of papers next to your kitchen table.
Thanks for your interest and patience.
A big advantage of the print edition is that the limited distribution means that we have less security worries.
For the web, however, we have to remove photos and names/addresses. Often, we don't get the time to do so. So, we'll post the April 12th version, if/when we find the time to do so. For now, check your child's backpack or that big pile of papers next to your kitchen table.
Thanks for your interest and patience.
PALO ALTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Duveneck Site Council
Date: Monday, April 7, 2008
Time: 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Location: Library, Duveneck Elementary School
Agenda
4:00 Call to order
4:05 Review Agenda; approve minutes for Mar. 3
4:10 Correspondence/Open Forum
4:20 Site Council Election Update
4:30 School Site Plan Discussion: Meeting the Needs of All Students
4:40 Principal’s Report
4:50 PTA Report
5:00 Discussion of Site Council Survey s: Student, Teacher, and Parent
6:00 Adjourn
Next Meeting: May 5, 2008 (Kathleen on snacks)
2008 - 2009 Duveneck PTA Executive Board Slate
On March 19, the general membership of the Duveneck PTA voted to approve the following slate for the 2008-09 Executive Board:
President – Isabelle Cole
Executive Vice President – Pearl Chow
President Elects – Lauren Barley and Gordon Craig
Treasurer – Pamela Wagner
Secretary – Kristin Feitzinger
Auditor – Jeanne Marzano
Historian – Richard Clark
Site Council Liaison – Susie Hwang
Parliamentarian – Sheryl Klein
Vice President, Ways and Means (Fundraising) – Ginny Hull
Vice President, Parent Education – Kim Robins and Gretchen Darby
Vice President, Social Events – Julie Dyson and Liz Darby
Vice President, School Community – Sue Pelosi and Jennifer Buenrostro
President – Isabelle Cole
Executive Vice President – Pearl Chow
President Elects – Lauren Barley and Gordon Craig
Treasurer – Pamela Wagner
Secretary – Kristin Feitzinger
Auditor – Jeanne Marzano
Historian – Richard Clark
Site Council Liaison – Susie Hwang
Parliamentarian – Sheryl Klein
Vice President, Ways and Means (Fundraising) – Ginny Hull
Vice President, Parent Education – Kim Robins and Gretchen Darby
Vice President, Social Events – Julie Dyson and Liz Darby
Vice President, School Community – Sue Pelosi and Jennifer Buenrostro
.Duveneck School Site Council
Meeting Minutes
March 3,2008
Members in Attendance
Jon Foster, Heidi Mickelson, Kathleen Meagher, Diane Gosney, Linda van Gelder, Mark Robbins, Jaynie Schemel, Kathy Thibault and Ching-wen Miron
Guest- Mary Vincent
Approval of Minutes:
Feb 5th minutes approved. February 11th minutes approved as amended. Jaynie will send out revised minutes to all members and have them posted on the bulletin board and website.
Election Sub- Committee
Sarah Sands will continue in this role. She will determine timeline and will make all postings as required. Mark is happy to serve another year however it was noted that he was elected for one year only. The SSC discussed that having him leave caused too many open positions (3 elected and 1 PTA appointed member) which would be disruptive to the work of the group. It was decided that SSC would let the community know that it has extended Mark’s one year position to two years. (The Bylaws state that all positions will be two years.) Parents leaving include Heidi Mickelson and Jon Foster, both of whom were elected. Linda van Gelder will also be leaving and will be replaced with another appointed PTA representative. Staff members whose terms are ending are Diane Gosney and Jaynie Schemel. Jaynie has agreed to serve another term.
Sarah will establish the necessary timeline to finish by May 15. Linda will put a notice in the next Dispatch so that we can begin to find interested parents.
Correspondence/Open Forum:
None
Student and Teacher Surveys-
The SSC reviewed the proposed survey questions for student and teacher surveys. Suggestions were made and each survey was completed. Heidi volunteered to type up the student survey and Ching-wen volunteered to put the teacher survey on line.
The group discussed which grade levels of students we should survey – most specifically whether we should include second graders. The decision was made to survey grades 3-5. Ching-wen agreed to have her second grade class to see what would happen so that we will have a better idea in the future if that grade level would be surveyed.
It is our hope that the surveys can be completed by Spring Break. Several SSC members volunteered to tally the student survey results on March 31 at 4:00 in the library. It is the intention of the group that we will be able to review the data from all 3 surveys at our April SSC meeting.
It was discussed that relatively few families have responded to the parent survey to date. Mark will send a reminder to parents via the online yahoo group. Kathleen will use the Connect Ed system to make a phone call will to all families to remind them to complete the survey by Friday.
We discussed ways to encourage parent participation in the survey including making computers in the library available and signs posted to remind parents. Linda is going to help create a sign to place in the front of the school to encourage participation.
Review of Single Plan for Student Achievement
Kathleen passed out a revised hand out of the Single Plan for Student Achievement Monitoring. We reviewed the progress we have made in the Closing the Achievement portion of the plan. Kathleen answered questions clarifying SDAIE and SIOP training and strategies. Kathleen shared that there will be changes in the VTP bus schedules next year that will adjust the after school schedule/support for VTP students.
Principal’s Report
Teachers are in the midst of parent conferences. The new playground equipment is in but we are still waiting on wood chips for kinder. The new gate is now in and is locked during the school day. The garden project is continuing. We have an eagle scout doing a project to build storage for the new garden area. He will also organize the shed where playground equipment is stored. Kathleen asked the District to plant trees around the 2 upper grade structures.
PTA Report
A new leadership structure was created in order to provide alignment with the other schools’ PTA’s. Math Curriculum Night is April 16. Spruce up Duveneck is April 12 when a cart will be built to hold the float for the parade. E-News has changed its format because they would not be able to continue using the district Server.
Meeting was adjourned.
Duveneck Honorary Service Awards
Duveneck Honorary service Awards Committee is looking for your input
Do you know a fifth grade parent who has made an outstanding contribution to Duveneck, and whose last Duveneck student is graduating?Each year, the Duveneck PTA recognizes outgoing 5th grade parents who have dedicated their time, talents and energies toward the enrichment ofour school and the benefit of our children. These people have made significant contributions over their many years at Duveneck. The PTA is proud of this tradition and invites the entire community to be involved in the nominating process.Please send your nominations by Tuesday, May 6 to the Duveneck HonoraryService Award Committee by submitting them to the box in the Duveneck office. Your nominations should include the nominee's name, years at Duveneck, volunteer positions, and the reasons you believe they should be recognized. You can pick up nomination forms from the office.
Duveneck Service Award Nominations are due Tuesday, May 6. We will present the awards at an end of year reception.
Do you know a fifth grade parent who has made an outstanding contribution to Duveneck, and whose last Duveneck student is graduating?Each year, the Duveneck PTA recognizes outgoing 5th grade parents who have dedicated their time, talents and energies toward the enrichment ofour school and the benefit of our children. These people have made significant contributions over their many years at Duveneck. The PTA is proud of this tradition and invites the entire community to be involved in the nominating process.Please send your nominations by Tuesday, May 6 to the Duveneck HonoraryService Award Committee by submitting them to the box in the Duveneck office. Your nominations should include the nominee's name, years at Duveneck, volunteer positions, and the reasons you believe they should be recognized. You can pick up nomination forms from the office.
Duveneck Service Award Nominations are due Tuesday, May 6. We will present the awards at an end of year reception.
STAR Testing Apr 28th-May 2nd and May 5th-May 9th
Students in grades 2 through 5 will participate in the mandated statewide assessment program, generally known as STAR testing, during the weeks of April 28th- May 2nd and May 5th - May 9th. The STAR testing includes the California Standards Tests (CST) and the California Achievement Tests (CAT/6). Students in grades 2-5 participate in the CST. The CAT-6 is administered in grade 3 only. Both tests are a multiple-choice format in which students are asked to select the correct answer from four or five possible answers. Students will be answering questions in the areas of reading, language arts, mathematics, and spelling; in addition, fifth graders will take a test in science. In an effort to provide students with the best possible testing conditions, teachers will be administering a few subtests each morning of the testing period rather than have students sit through long periods of testing at one time.
Our goal is to help students approach the STAR testing with seriousness and confidence. Since our students will be taking standardized tests throughout their school careers, we feel that one of our responsibilities is to help students become familiar with the multiple-choice format and to begin to teach them strategies for taking these kinds of tests. We help them learn how to fill in the bubbles properly and how to think through the tricky distracters common in multiple-choice questions and answers.
Parents can help their children be successful during these tests by making sure:
In addition to these four critically important elements, we also know you will support your child psychologically. Maintaining a positive attitude and reducing stress at home will further enable your child to concentrate on the testing and to put forth his/her best effort. We encourage you to join us in assuring your child that s/he is well prepared and in dispelling any small anxieties s/he may have. Standardized tests, like the CAT-6, are normed on a bell curve which requires that items children are not expected to know are included - otherwise, there would be no "bell curve." All the more reason to be reassuring with our children.
Our goal is to help students approach the STAR testing with seriousness and confidence. Since our students will be taking standardized tests throughout their school careers, we feel that one of our responsibilities is to help students become familiar with the multiple-choice format and to begin to teach them strategies for taking these kinds of tests. We help them learn how to fill in the bubbles properly and how to think through the tricky distracters common in multiple-choice questions and answers.
Parents can help their children be successful during these tests by making sure:
- Your child gets plenty of sleep each night.
- Your child eats regular, healthy meals - especially breakfast.
- Your child arrives at school on time each day.
- You schedule any necessary appointments after the school day during these two weeks.
.
In addition to these four critically important elements, we also know you will support your child psychologically. Maintaining a positive attitude and reducing stress at home will further enable your child to concentrate on the testing and to put forth his/her best effort. We encourage you to join us in assuring your child that s/he is well prepared and in dispelling any small anxieties s/he may have. Standardized tests, like the CAT-6, are normed on a bell curve which requires that items children are not expected to know are included - otherwise, there would be no "bell curve." All the more reason to be reassuring with our children.
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