Friday, November 21
3rd Grade Pilgrim Feast; Upper Yard, 10:45 AM
End of First Trimester
5th Grade Play Rehearsal; MP Room, 2:45 PM

Monday, November 24
Staff Inservice Day/Student Holiday

Tuesday, November 25
Staff inservice Day/Student Holiday

Wednesday, November 26
Holiday

Thursday, November 27
Thanksgiving Holiday

Friday, November 28
Holiday

Monday, December 1
Chess Club; Library, 2:45 PM
School Site Council Meeting; Office, 3:00 PM
Cub Scout Pack 200; Library, 7:00 PM-8:00 PM

Tuesday, December 2
CHARACTER COUNTS! Staff Inservice; Library
Bargain Book Bonanza; 12:00 noon
CHARACTER COUNTS! Parent Ed; Library, 6:30 PM

Wednesday, December 3
PFC-Sponsored Poets-In-the-Schools; 4th grade
PFC Executive Board Mtg.; Lounge, 5:30 PM
LASF General Board Mtg.; Stanley Library, 7:00 PM

Thursday, December 4
KidzArt; Rm. 25, 2:45 PM

Friday, December 5
Report Cards go home
5th Grade Play Rehearsal; MP Room, 2:45 PM

Sunday, December 7
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

Monday, November 24
Staff Inservice Day/Student Holiday

Tuesday, November 25
Staff inservice Day/Student Holiday

Wednesday, November 26
Holiday

Thursday, November 27
Thanksgiving Holiday

Friday, November 28
Holiday

Monday, December 1
Chess Club; Library, 2:45 PM
School Site Council Mtg.; Office, 3:00 PM
Cub Scout Pack 200; Library, 7:00 PM-8:00 PM

Tuesday, December 2
CHARACTER COUNTS! Staff Inservice; Library
Bargain Book Bonanza; 12:00 Noon
CHARACTER COUNTS! Parent Ed; Library, 6:30 PM

Wednesday, December 3
PFC-Sponsored Poets-In-the-Schools; 4th grade
PFC Executive Board Mtg.; Lounge, 5:30 PM
LASF General Board Mtg.; Stanley Library, 7:00 PM

Thursday, December 4
KidzArt; Rm. 25, 2:45 PM

Friday, December 5
Report Cards go home
5th Grade Play Rehearsal; MP Room, 2:45 PM

Sunday, December 7
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

Monday, December 8
Student Council Mtg.; Rm. 23, 12:20 PM
Chess Club; Library, 2:45 PM
LSD Board Mtg.; DO, 7:00 PM

Wednesday, December 10
PFC-Sponsored Poets-In-the-Schools; 4th grade (see schedule)
Cub Scout Pack 200 Mtg.; MP Room, 6:30 PM-8:30 PM

Thursday, December 11
Student Council QUENCHERS Fund-Raiser for Acalanes Valley Ridge Association Road Safety Improvement Drive
KidzArt; Rm. 25, 2:45 PM

Friday, December 12
5th Grade Play Rehearsal; MP Room, 2:45 PM

A. REMINDER: Monday, 11/24, through Friday, 11/28, are district holidays for students. There will be no school during Thanksgiving Week. Monday, 11/24, and Tuesday, 11/25, will be staff development days for the Lafayette School District. We will see you back at school on Monday, 12/01. HAVE A WONDERFUL, RESTFUL AND THANKFUL THANKSGIVING!!!

B. THANK YOU ALL WHO ATTENDED OUR ANNUAL BOOK FAIR: Raising funds for our Library has never been more fun! What a fantastic selection of reading material!!! A huge thank you to Gabrielle Ohleyer, Melissa Johnston, Sharon Swan, Darcy Cole & Sherry Mattern for making this magnificent week come together.

C. THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ATTENDED OUR ANNUAL FALL VETERAN's DAY MUSIC ASSEMBLY: Thank you to Mrs. Ghulam and the 5th Grade Chorus, to Mrs. Brummel and the Brass Quintet of the 59th US Army Band and to our 1st, 2nd & 3rd grade singers! It was a spectacular show!

D. WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CHARACTER COUNTS!??? Mark your calendars for a PFC- sponsored parent ed night on Tuesday, December 2, delving into Springhill's character development program. Check out the SIX PILLARS & PAY IT FORWARD CORNER below to see where Springhill School is right now in that pursuit. More information to follow!

E. THANK YOU TO MRS. KRISTI BUCK & MRS. MELISSA LEE for an exceptional job on the PFC STUDENT DIRECTORY. Well done, ladies!

F. ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH to Corrine Christensen, Dianne MacArthur and the PFC for the exceptional gourmet Teacher Appreciation Luncheon last Wednesday. As always, it was unbelievably delicious!!!

G. Join the PFC! Register for e-SCRIP!!

THE SIX PILLARS & PAY IT FORWARD CORNER

CHECK OUT THE SIX PILLARS BANNERS HANGING IN THE CENTRAL COURTYARD!

Springhill School has recently sent a team of eight (four parents and four staff members, including myself) to San Francisco for three days this summer where we were introduced to an impressive, character development framework used nationwide known as CHARACTER COUNTS! It has an excellent track record primarily with schools, but also with sports organizations, businesses, nonprofit institutions, etc. We are eager to share what we learned at this workshop with the Springhill community. As parents, you will have opportunities to learn much more about how we might use CHARACTER COUNTS! as a framework for all that we do at Springhill. Through school communications, parent ed presentations from our PFC and your own children, you will be kept apprised of this endeavor as the school year progresses. CHARACTER COUNTS! is based on the Six Pillars: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship. We are enthusiastic about every aspect of CHARACTER COUNTS! and are looking forward to introducing its components to the student body. Because of the way in which the framework is designed and the flexibility with which it can be implemented, it can serve as an umbrella under which we will continue our PAY IT FORWARD program and our regular SPIRIT WEDNESDAY activities, and, perhaps, can create the opportunity for a number of additional activities. You will be receiving much more news about CHARACTER COUNTS! as the year unfolds, but you may also access the following website for more information: http://charactercounts.org/

Every week we will be including different aspects of our Pay It Forward theme for this year in the Friday Flyer. Character development should be a major component in any well-rounded educational program and it has been for many years at Springhill. Ask your children what their classes are doing for Pay It Forward. Come to Spirit Wednesday, 8:30 AM every Wednesday morning in the main courtyard and find out how we promote character development at Springhill School.

We made a significant change in the Pay It Forward program last year. If you are familiar with how this program was originally designed, you know that all of the "pay it forward" efforts remained anonymous in order to promote the altruistic and selfless nature of the act. Although we will acknowledge all of the acts themselves in the weekly Student Bulletin, at Spirit Wednesday and in the Friday Flyer, we no longer identify the specific students who performed the acts (e.g., "Two 2nd graders had a lemonade sale over the weekend and raised $30 for the school's Coins For a Cure Diabetes Drive.") We are hopeful the enthusiasm for the program will continue to be as strong as it has been the last several years with this change. Thank you.

A. CONTRA COSTA COUNTY FOOD BANK: We will begin our annual CC COUNTY FOOD BANK DRIVE on Monday, 12/1/08, and conclude it on Friday, 12/12/08. Please consider bringing canned goods and dried goods for those less fortunate than ourselves during the holidays and upholding the Pillars of Responsibility and Caring. No fresh or frozen foods, please. Thank you for paying it forward!

B. THE STUDENT COUNCIL HAS DETERMINED that its first PAY IT FORWARD FUND RAISER this year will be to benefit THE ACALANES VALLEY AND RIDGE ASSOCIATION's DRIVE to improve the safety of the car and foot traffic on Stanley Blvd. All of our students are prospective Acalanes High School students and their safety in the future is as important as it is today. Be looking for information to come home on Friday, December 5, for your child to buy a QUENCHERS nutritious smoothie to benefit this worthy cause! Thank you, Student Council, for upholding the Pillars of Responsibility and Citizenship! Well done!!!

C. WELL DONE, FOURTH/FIFTH GRADE GIRLS!!! We have a group of eleven 4th/5th grade girls who are selflessly getting together every Monday and Friday at lunch and picking up trash on the Lower Field and playground. Others are welcome to join them! Let Mr. Wodhams know who you are if you do join. Very well done, ladies. Thank you for paying it forward and upholding the Pillars of Respect, Responsibility and Citizenship!!!

D. SOCCER EQUIPMENT DRIVE: Girl Scout Troop #31116 continues to collect all LMYA soccer uniforms and soccer equipment in case you still want to donate! Last year, we collected over 1,500 soccer uniforms (representing 110 complete teams!) as well as hundreds of shin guards, soccer shoes, and balls which were shipped to needy youth/kids in Afghanistan, Africa, and Haiti. Donation boxes will be located in front of the Springhill Office up until Friday, December 19th. Thank you for paying it forward and upholding the Pillars of Caring and Citizenship!

DIFFERENTIATION CORNER

*Differentiated Instruction takes place in all of our classes. Each week we will be profiling a particular teacher's implementation of Differentiated Instruction every week in the Friday Flyer. Don't miss it!!!

In Mrs. Brenner's 2nd grade, a writing program has been implemented that involves a mini-lesson and a mentor text book. Students are prompted to write about a specific topic but are able to go as in depth as they would like to go. Some will take it to the next level because of their ability to write. Others may have a simplified version but it is their best work. By teaching a specific skill in the mini-lesson, students are able to learn the skill and apply it at their own level. This enables Mrs. Brenner to teach a skill and meet the needs of all students.

*Differentiated Instruction is NOT individualized instruction, but rather the delivery of curriculum to students in a manner that complements their learning style while always challenging them at their ability level.

What a fun party!! Thank you LASF, Vangie Long & the many, many volunteers who worked tirelessly to put this Annual Event together at the Orinda Country Club last Saturday. The food was terrific, the prizes were great and the music & dancing was so much fun! We appreciate all the support the families gave through attending, donations and purchases to raise money for our schools.

The directories are here!! Thanks so much to Kristy Buck and Melissa Lee for spending so many hours inputting all of our information into the Springhill directory so we can stay connected. What a long, painstaking job, but the books look great! Thanks so much for all your hard work. We have a limited number of extra directories available for purchase if you'd still like to get one. Please contact Kristi at 4Bucks@BuckFamily.com for information on obtaining a directory.

Thank you Melissa Johnston, Gabrielle Ohleyer, Sharon Swan and Darcy Cole for all the hard work that was put into making this year's Book Fair such a huge success. It was incredible to see so many families attend on Tuesday evening to shop and enjoy the Magician. And of course, it was wonderful to have our very own Mr. Wodhams on Wednesday night, singing and playing his guitar. This is always a favorite for our kids. Thank you, Bruce, for your endless dedication to our kids! The numbers from the sale are not available yet, but I know we sold lots and lots of books! Thank you, families, for all your support.

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, December 2nd. PFC will be hosting a Character Counts! Parent Ed night in the Springhill Library at 6:30 PM. Come learn all out the Six Pillars and how to incorporate them into your home life as the kids are living it in their school life! Kid's Hideout will be offering childcare on site for those who need it. If you need care, you must pre-register your child. Please contact Kid's Hideout at 283-7808 to receive a Registration form. The cost of care will be $10 for one child, and $5 for each additional sibling. A pizza dinner will also be available for purchase. Please contact Hideout for more details.

We'd like to welcome our new VP of Communications, Julie Donlon, to our team! Julie will be working with Melissa Johnston to "learn the ropes" during Melissa's last few weeks as Vice President. Thanks, Julie, for stepping into this position! We look forward to working with you.

I'd like to send a very big THANK YOU to Melissa Johnston for all the work she has done as the VP since July 1st. We will miss you, Melissa. We wish you & your family lots of luck in your new adventure!

I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday!

Beth Brown
2008-09 Springhill PFC President
pfcprez@yahoo.com
482-7956

Quote for the Week:
Leap! and the net will appear!

Loved That "Love LASF" Fall Party!

There were so many things to love about LASF's Annual Event this past Saturday night - the gorgeous setting, the fantastic food, the glamorous gaming, the ritzy raffles and the rock on band. But the generous support of LASF by party donors and attendees across Lafayette tops the love chart; so many people opened their hearts and their wallets to show just how much our community cares about providing Lafayette students with an excellent education. Finally, please join LASF in thanking and congratulating event co- chairs Vangie Long and Ramona Diaz and their team of creative and hardworking committee chairs on a job well done: Carrie Barlow, Patty Gonser, Jodi Kittinger, Jennifer Larson, Kathy Lefanowicz, Shoshana Mark, Chris McCann, Colleen McCarty, John McCormick, Wendy Poling, Stephenie Teichman, Cece Vohs Cimino, Nancy Wallace Ishii and Maureen Wickline.

"Love LASF" Sign-Up Parties are Still Available, Join Now!

While party attendees had first dibs on Sign-Up Party seats, there are still many phenomenal parties to join. From a Louisiana Bayou party to a comedy night at Town Hall Theatre, there is truly a spot on party for everyone. Check out the available parties at www.lasf.org/annualevent/signup.html or call LASF at 299-1644 to reserve and pay for your seats.

Budding Scientists, Now is the Time to Start!
LASF Science Fair Information

Have a talk with your children about what they'd like to do for the LASF Science Fair this year. It's not too early to start thinking about it. THE LASF SCIENCE FAIR IS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2009 FROM 6:30- 8:30PM. Some projects take some time to develop. You can help them turn an interest into a science fair project by asking them to finish the sentence "I wonder ____". For example, I wonder why ____? (the leaves turn colors) or I wonder what happens if ____? (I put bigger tires on my model car) or I wonder how ____ affects ____? (size affects speed). After coming up with a good question and thinking about it for a while, a child may think they know the answer: this will be their hypothesis.

Alternatively, a little research at the library or on the internet may be in order to develop a hypothesis. LASF has a great website with several links to science web sites for exploring ideas. See http://www.lasf.org/links/sciencefair.html

It's important to help your child limit the problem to one or two variables or factors for a successful project. "Do bread molds grow on white bread faster in the light or dark?" will lead to a well-defined experiment rather than a broader question such as "How does light affect mold?" The most important things to remember are to pick a subject of interest and have fun. Hold onto that idea, as Entry Forms will be available soon. If you have any questions regarding the Science Fair you can contact: Your LASF Science Fair Chairs: Rhodora Del Rosario (roepd@hotmail.com), Sharon Kidd (skidd@berkeley.edu), (shadow) Kari Dahlen (kari@dahlen.com), (shadow) Heidi Rahlmann Plumb (plumbnest@mac.com)

Happy Thanksgiving!

In this season of Thanksgiving, I want to thank all of you. The Springhill Book Fair with its wonderful selections has come and gone. It would not have happened without the hard work of the many of you who helped set up, assisted as volunteer salespeople, straightener-uppers, and advice givers, and at the end helped to pull it all down, packing boxes like pros. To those of you who shopped, it would not have been so successful if so many of you had not come and bought books and other items. In addition, my most special thanks to the coordinators- Darcy Cole, Melissa Johnston, Gabrielle Ohleyer, and Sharon Doi Swan. Each used her special talents to help pull it off. Right now, I am at our annual California School Library Conference learning about wonderful new books and other resources and the best ways to use them to help all our students. I feel so lucky to know that I will have extra funds to update our resources, thanks to your on-going commitment and support.

Judy Cox's new Thanksgiving book, One Is a Feast for a Mouse, gently reminded the kindergartners (and me!) not to be too greedy but to be thankful for the small things we have.

Little Tom Turkey by Frances Bloxam chronicles a small turkey's journey to fulfill his desire to become a magnificent big gobbler. The first graders also learned many facts about wild turkeys, a bird native to North America and Ben Franklin's choice for our national bird.

Second graders had fun with Thelonius Turkey Lives! (on Felicia Ferguson's Farm) by Lynn Rowe Reed. This brightly-illustrated story follows Thelonius's attempts during the week before Thanksgiving to save himself from becoming the centerpiece of a Thanksgiving dinner.

It might seem as though you would have very little to be thankful for if your apartment building had burned down and you'd been on a waiting list a whole year for a new subsidized apartment. But not only is Carla thankful, she wants to invite everyone in their new building to a Thanksgiving feast! Her mother says "Fat chance" but Carla is determined in Fat Chance Thanksgiving by Patricia Lakin, the book I shared with the third graders.

It's 1896 and Clara and her mother are going by train to join her father in California. When snow blocks the train in Wyoming, one passenger invites them to share Thanksgiving with his friends, who just happen to be the "Hole in the Wall" gang! Fourth graders enjoyed An Outlaw Thanksgiving by Emily Arnold McCully, a surprising story (based on facts) of finding hospitality when and where you least expect it.

Have you ever heard of strawbeaters? If you were a slave looking forward to celebrating the harvest with slaves from all the farms around yours after finishing your work of shucking the corn you would know just what it means. Your toes might start tapping as you anticipated the joy of sharing a feast and dancing to a fiddler's tunes with friends and family you seldom got to see.

That world came alive in the book the fifth graders heard, A Strawbeater's Thanksgiving by Irene Smalls.

Don't forget to check out our website at http://www.lafsd.k12.ca.us/people/smattern/index.htm. You will find monthly updates on what's happening at the Springhill Library, an updated library wish list, reviews of new books, and links to many helpful resources too.

Remember, there are over 100 reasons to read. This week, reason number 10 is "You can do it anywhere."

Sherry Mattern, Library Specialist
smattern@LAFSD.K12.CA.US

TAKE ACTION UPDATE

Measure E
Congratulations on a job well done in getting the vote out for Measure E with a 63.8% victory. The support was overwhelming, once again showing what our community can do. But, our work is not over:

Education Funding at Risk, Possible Mid-Year Cuts of $2 to $4 Billion
"California could face a $10 billion budget shortfall this year, far worse than the deficit projected only weeks ago, officials from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office warned education leaders on 10/28, according to several schools representatives. In a special closed-door meeting between the governor and educators, Schwarzenegger warned that education funding could be cut by $2 billion to $4 billion to help bridge the looming budget deficit, Scott Plotkin, executive director of the California School Boards Association, said after a meeting with the governor. The governor also suggested that he might revive his proposal for a temporary sales-tax increase, which stalled when Republican lawmakers refused to support it. 'I think he was giving us a heads-up on his perspective of things, with the expectation that we would be sufficiently alarmed so that we would work with him and the Legislature and that the solutions won't be just cuts only,' Plotkin said. Any cuts to education funding in the middle of an academic year would be devastating for schools, Plotkin said. "Teachers are teaching, and bus drivers are driving, and there's no way schools can cut like that in the middle of the school year". With the state's financial woes not letting up, Schwarzenegger called a special legislative session Wednesday, a day after Tuesday's general election to deal with the budget gap.

Advocacy Day
This trip will be even more important this year. We need your input to make this an even more successful endeavor. Surveys were passed out at the PFC meeting Wednesday. If you didn't get one, extra copies are in the leg rep mailbox in the office. The surveys need to be returned to that mailbox or directly to Karen Guthrie by November 21st.

As these stories develop, parental support will be crucial to protect education funding. Questions? Comments? Contact Karen Guthrie, PFC Leg Rep, 925.283.7956 or kfguthrie@earthlink.net

When I introduced my future husband to my mother, she was very disappointed. She was upset because he was not Catholic. Little did she know that it was, in fact, my sister and not me who was in for a lifetime of conflict and compromise. My sister is in a "mixed" marriage. Not a racially mixed or a religiously mixed marriage. She is in a nutritionally mixed marriage, and oh the trials and tribulations.

You see my sisters and I were raised on whole grains and vitamin B complex. My mother made her own granola. Her own granola bars,. Her own homemade yogurt,! Our breakfast was a blender of OJ and protein powder. My sister's husband? His idea of breakfast is a snickers bar and a coke.

I know she is not alone. I know, in fact, that in many households across this land there is often not a united front in the nutrition wars. The nutritional conflict does not just exist between Evil Food Companies and the Perfect American Family. Sometimes it is fought between the resident Nutrition General and the other not so passionate parent. One trip to the grocery store yields broccoli and organic chicken and the next yields frozen chicken nuggets and Jell-O pudding pops. Arrrgggg! Why can't you just stick to the list????? (They both want to know).

Well, I am admittedly the nutrition general in our household. While I do not have the burden of total disagreement, I will call my husband a nutritional agnostic who does not see anything wrong with Jell-O pudding pops every once in a while. Still, nothing is more frustrating than when a month's worth of preaching and good habit forming discipline is undermined by one bad trip to Costco. What is a General to do?

Here is my best advice:

1) Remember that building good nutritional habits is a long term goal. This is a marathon not a sprint. Consistency will win because habits are formed over a lifetime. Keep offering those cheese sticks and apples when your kid is hungry for a snack and over time, they will reach for the cheese stick and apple out of habit.

2) If you don't want them to eat it - don't buy it. Don't buy stuff and have it in the cupboard for special occasions. That just leads to fighting and crying. If it is in the house they will find it and eat it. So make sure what they find is ok with you. Special occasion bad stuff should be bought only just before the special occasion. This of course only works if the nutrition general does the grocery shopping. If the other parent does the shopping sometimes, see number (1) above.

3) Knowledge is power - talk to your kids ALL THE TIME about what food does for (and to) their bodies. Protein builds muscles, calcium builds strong bones, and vegetables keep your bodies healthy with vitamins and antioxidants. I am amazed at my young children's ability to understand basic biology and absorb this kind of information. Even when they eat bad stuff I find a teachable moment - "Yes Katie, the reason you feel tired and yucky is because you were hungry and ate a Jell-O pudding pop and now your blood sugar is in the tank. Would you like a cheese stick? It will make you feel better."

4) Don't ever give up Nutrition General! You are on the "right side of history". Tons of processed food really is bad for your kids. Too much sugar and lots of soda pop and pesticides and high fructose corn syrup really is bad. The damage is done slowly, and over many, many years, but these are your kids and you want them to be healthy and strong so don't loose heart even if you lose a battle here and there.

5) To the Not so Passionate Parent - Dino nuggets are Ok sometimes but not all the time. Nutrition Generals are not crazy; they are usually just well informed. But sometimes they are both. Getting children to do all the things children have to do (homework, exercise, eat right) is soooooooo hard sometime - please help!!!

6) To the Nutrition General - see number (1) above.

OK. Is everybody on board? Great. Next week, I will be addressing the Israeli- Palestinian Conflict. Just Kidding.

2008 Soccer Uniform Collection Effort
Girl Scout Troop #31116 continues to collect all LMYA soccer uniforms and soccer equipment in case you still want to donate! Last year, we collected over 1,500 soccer uniforms (representing 110 complete teams!) as well as hundreds of shin guards, soccer shoes, and balls which were shipped to needy youth/kids in Afghanistan, Africa, and Haiti. Donation boxes will be located in the office up until Friday, December 19th.

Thank you for your donations! Questions? Contact us at: soccer4everyone@yahoo.com.

Attention 5th Grade Boys!
Have you considered joining a boyscout troop in middle school? Did you know you can join a boyscout troop at Stanley even if you have never been a cubscout before?

Troop 219 would like to invite you to learn about our troop and the fun scouting experiences that we enjoy. Please come to our troop informational on Monday, December 1st at 7:30 pm at Lafayette Methodist Church on Moraga Road (across the street from the Lafayette Library). We have planned a fun night for you....Judge our scout patrols in our annual Iron Chef Cook-off! Sample the camp-out cooking prepared for you! Learn about Troop 219 - our leadership, our adventures, our fun!

Please respond to Sierra Higgins at Higginsfamily@sbcglobal.net by November 28th if you would like to attend.
Please contact Scoutmaster Stig Svedberg at ssvedberg@comcast.net with any questions.

Vocal Music News:
Thanks to all who participated in the Fall Vocal Music Assembly Friday 11/14: the first, second, third grades, and the Fifth Grade Chorus. We also enjoyed hearing the brass quintet led by Liz Brummel from the 59th Army Band, "the governor's own." Songs supported the social studies curriculum and Character Counts.

Tree Lighting with Song Hospice Tree of Lights Lafayette tree lighting Dec 10th is a Springhill pay-it-forward event. for grades 2-5. Families attend and students sing under the big oak tree between Starbucks and the Roundup on Mt.Diablo Blvd. across from Safeway. Time: 5:15 arrival, Event 5:30-6:00 . This is a short memorial event honoring those who have passed away . Candles and hot chocolate will be provided.
Children in grades 2 through 5 are invited to sing Somewhere Out There and one other song, both to be learned in class. Questions? contact vghulam@lafsd.k12.ca.us.

Thanksgiving Break at Hideout
We are still taking sign-ups for Thanksgiving Week. You can go to our website at www.kidshideout.net and go to the FORMS page, under CAMP REGISTRATION WEEKS. The Winter Camp registration form is also on the website on under DECEMBER MINIMUM DAYS or CAMP REGISTRATION WEEKS. Sign up early for discount!! If you have any questions, please contact Beth at 283-7808 or beth@kidshideout.net.

Thank you from Children's Hospital of Oakland
Our 4th graders Daniel and Stanley Kvitko dropped off the donations this week. The volunteers at Children's Hospital were very grateful for toys and books as the hospital is running very low at this time of year and the holidays just around the corner. THANK YOU for your donations!

Downtown Walnut Creek On Ice
Back for its fourth season, Downtown Walnut Creek on Ice is now open everyday through January 25, 2009 in Civic Park! The rink is open Monday through Thursdays from 10am-10pm, Friday and Saturday 10am-11pm , & Sundays 11am-8pm. Midweek pricing is $11 (includes skate rental) and $15 Friday nights at 5pm - through the weekend. Discount pricing available for school field trips & scout outings. Private ice rental available too! For more information, please call 925.935.SNOW or visit www.IceSkateWalnutCreek.com.

Stanley Middle School - Follow up for the Risky Behavior Panel event:
Brown Bag Lunch from 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 3rd in the back room of the Library. At the Brown Bag Lunch, the counselors and Dr. Beth Ferree will address the many questions that the panel just didn't have time for! Come, bring your lunch and join in the discussion.

LAFAYETTE BOY SCOUT TROOP 224 CHRISTMAS TREE LOT OPENS NOV. 28TH
For over 25 years, Lamorinda has supported Lafayette's Boy Scout Troop 224 by purchasing their Christmas Trees from the Troop. This year the Troop will open their Christmas Tree Lot on November 28th. The Tree Lot is located at Mt. Diablo Blvd. and Risa Road (Next to the Veterans Building). Troop 224 receives several shipments of trees throughout the Christmas season directly from the tree farm in Oregon. This allows Troop 224 to offer you some of the freshest trees available. Plus, all the profits from the Tree Lot go directly to the operations of Troop 224. Thank you for your continued support, and we hope to see you at the Tree Lot.

Searching for the perfect gift for your favorite Teachers and Aides this holiday season?
Did you know the Friends of the Lafayette Library (FLL) receives thousands of books each month to sell in their Book Room? Did you know gently used children and adult titles at the FLL Book Room sell for a fraction of Book Store prices? A gift certificate purchased for your favorite teacher or aide will allow them to stock their classroom bookshelves or pick up great reads to enjoy over the holiday break. Gift Certificates are available at the Lafayette Library in any denomination - so consider giving a Friends of the Lafayette Library Gift Certificate this year!

PTA Parenting Book Club
Join us for a Joaquin PTA Parenting Book Club discussion
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
7:00-8:30pm, library, no fee
Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School, 1010 Camino Pablo, Moraga

Staying Connected to Your Teenager
(Dr. Michael Riera, Ph.D.)

Join our facilitator for the evening, JM school counselor Ms. Heidi Felt, and other parents for a discussion of this book and share your own parenting experiences and tips.
These books are available at the Lafayette Book Store on Mt. Diablo Blvd., as well as from online sellers.
Teenagers are often confounding to their parents because they are straddling the chasm of childhood and adulthood.
In this book, Dr. Michael Riera discusses practical strategies for maintaining and even improving parents' relationships with their children during the teenage years. These strategies include moving from a "managing" to a "consulting" role in the teenager's life, understanding and working with changing sleep patterns, and taking advantage of key conversation opportunities.

Questions & Comments? Vera Babor at vbabor@acalanes.k12.ca.us

Single Parents Series begins this month!
The Lafayette School District Parent Education committee introduces a series for single parent families with monthly meetings on a variety of topics. 7:00-8:30pm in the Faculty Lounge at Stanley Middle School. Local therapists Dianne Donnelly, Maureen Wallace and Cindy Perryman will be facilitating the discussion, From the Kids Perspective: Caught in the Middle, talking about how our kids see parents through divorce and how they struggle with loyalties to both Mom and Dad. Childcare will be provided for preschool age children through grade school children. Please contact k.felton@yahoo.com to make reservations for childcare.

Upcoming Meetings:
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Holidays: Recreating Traditions
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Two House Tango:Schedules, Transitions, Household Guidelines
Tuesday, February, 10, 2009
You're Not My Mother: Introducing New Relationships to your Kids
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Whose Business is it?: What to say when, to whom, and how to say it.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Creating a Legacy: Remembering What's Important

To submit entries to the Friday Flyer, email Traci Lawrence: fridayflyereditor@yahoo.com

All entries due Wednesday before 3:00pm. Entries must be kept brief, please.
Subscriber info: bethhutson@comcast.net

Web: http://www.lafsd.k12.ca.us/springhill