Friday, September 25
Parent/Teacher Conferences/Minimum Day:
All K: 8:15 AM-11:35 AM
Gr. 1-3 students dismissed at 11:50 AM
Gr. 4-5 students dismissed at 12:00 PM

Sunday, September 26
Yom Kippur begins at sundown

Monday, September 28
Yom Kippur
All 5th grade prospective candidates meeting; MultiPurpose Room, 1:05 PM

Tuesday, September 29
Candidates practice speech in front of Mr. Wodhams
Petitions due to Mr. Wodhams by 3:00 PM
3rd Grade OLSAT Parent Mtg.; District Office, 6:30 PM

Wednesday, September 30
Candidates practice speech in front of Mr. Wodhams
Posters due to Mr. Wodhams by 3:00 PM

Thursday, October 1
Election Assembly, 4/5 Grade (VP, Sec., Treas. Speeches): Amphitheatre, 11:15 AM

Friday, October 2
Election Assembly, 4/5 Grade (Pres., S.C. Speeches): Amphitheatre, 9:55 AM
Voting for Student Body Officers, 4/5 grades; in classrooms

Saturday, October 3
Light the Night Leukemia/Lymphoma Walk; Walnut Creek

Sunday, October 4
Walk to Cure Diabetes; Heather Farms, 10:00 AM

Monday, October 5
Cub Scout Pack 200; Library, 7:00 PM-8:30 PM

Monday, October 5-Friday, October 30
COINS FOR A CURE; JDRC (Juvenile Diabetes Research Center) Drive begins

Wednesday, October 7
PFC Executive Board Mtg.; Lounge, 5:30 PM

Friday, October 9
5th Grade Play Demo, "Grease, Jr."; Location TBD, 2:00 PM

Monday, October 12
PFC 5th Grade Drama Parent Mtg.; Library, 7:00 PM

Wednesday, October 14
PICTURE DAY; MultiPurpose Room
Lunch outside
LSD Board Mtg.; District Office, 7:00 PM

Friday, October 16
LAFAYETTE TEAM GREEN Mtg.; Library, 8:45 AM- 10:45 AM

UPDATED SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS: H1N1 INFLUENZA/SWINE FLU

September 22, 2009

Dear Parents,

As expected, we are beginning to get unconfirmed reports that students and staff may have contracted the H1N1 flu virus (swine flu). While there is no standard protocol for communication, we thought it prudent to let our families and staff know that HIN1 flu virus is likely emerging in our community. We would like to take this opportunity to remind families of the best practices that are recommended by Contra Costa Health Services to help prevent the spread of this illness (even though you have received this information on multiple previous occasions):

· Check your children for symptoms of influenza (primarily fever with either a cough or a sore throat).
· Keep sick people at home. Don't send them to school, childcare or work. No one should return to school until they have had no fever for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicine, even if they feel better.
· Teach your children to wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, have them use an alcohol-based hand rub to clean their hands.
· Teach your children to cover coughs and sneezes with tissues or by coughing into the inside of the elbow.
· Teach your children to stay at least six feet away from people who are sick.
· Vaccinate your children and yourself with the seasonal flu vaccine.

Please know that we are monitoring attendance closely at all of our district's school sites (there are no significant changes in absenteeism thus far), and we are remaining in close contact with the Contra Costa Health Services to get the most up-to-date information about prevention and safety protocol.

Information about H1N1 flu for parents, including fun videos and podcasts you can share with your child are available online at www.cchealth.org/topics/swine_flu/parent_information .php.
To find out where to get seasonal flu vaccine for you and your family, contact your health care provider or health plan. You can also call the Public Health Flu Hotline at 925-313- 6469 or visit www.flucliniclocator.org. Prerecorded information is also available by calling Contra Costa Health Services Health Emergency Information Line at 1-888-959- 9911.

We appreciate all of your support.

Sincerely,

Fred Brill, Ed.D.
Superintendent

A. LAFAYETTE TEAM GREEN: Many thanks for the overwhelming response from so many of you interested in participating in the first LAFAYETTE TEAM GREEN SUMMIT to be held in the Springhill School Library on Friday, October 16. Under the auspices of Sustainable Lafayette, coordinated by Steve Richard, District Science teachers and administrators as well as parents are meeting to determine how best to address the aspects of a sustainable and environmentally aware community. Unfortunately, we could not accommodate all of those Springhill parents who expressed a desire in attending the October 16 meeting, but all of those interested parents will be convening shortly at our own SPRINGHILL TEAM GREEN meeting to follow the community gathering. More information to follow!
B. MANY THANKS TO BOTH STEPHANIE MARRONE AND CORRINE CHRISTENSEN FOR YOUR TIRELESS EFFORTS TO PUT TOGETHER THE SPRINGHILL PFC GOLF TOURNAMENT. Unfortunately, there were just not the number of golfers signed up to make it work and the event had to be canceled for this year. Thank you again, Stephanie & Corrine!
C. 5th GRADE PARENTS & STUDENTS: DEMOCRACY IN ACTION!!! Student Body Elections are coming up. Check out the calendar soon for specific timetable of events!
D. STUDENT SAFETY: It is always a good idea at the beginning of the school year to speak with your children about the importance of maintaining safe practices when walking to and from school. Recent news stories remind us that it is always best to walk with a friend, and never should a child agree to get in a car with an unknown adult. Children and adults should report any suspicious activity to school or police officials.
E. PFC FUND RAISER: SALLY FOSTER GIFTWRAP!!! Many thanks to Melissa Johnston and Gabrielle Ohleyer for coordinating this fund- raising effort. It's an easy way to contribute---buy giftwrap!!! Thank you!
F. SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL: The School Site Council is a team which includes the principal, teachers, other school personnel and parents, all of whom are elected by their peer groups to represent them on the Council. The Council meets monthly to address the changing needs of our students by developing a School Site Plan and implementing the goals of that plan. The School Site Plan attempts to address the special and unique needs of our community and includes such items as review and allocation of the School Improvement Plan (SIP) budget for teacher aides and possible other programs. Equally as important, it is the job of the Council to address areas of concern and to carry out effective solutions. For more information about the School Site Council, including agendas and minutes of recent meetings, please check out the Springhill School Website at: http://www.lafsd.k12.ca.us/springhill/ There are four parent positions currently vacant on the Council. If you would be interested in running for these positions or have questions about the School Site Council, please call Bruce Wodhams at 927-3580 or e-mail at: bwodhams@lafsd.k12.ca.us. Thank you to our three departing parent members for the outstanding job they did: Kim Stewart, Doreen deRoque and Cathy Holt!
G. Join the PFC! Register for e-SCRIP!!

THE SIX PILLARS & PAY IT FORWARD CORNER

"Respect for ourselves guides our morals; respect for others guides our manners."
- Laurence Stern, Anglo-Irish author, clergyman (1713-1768)

CHARACTER COUNTS! AS YOU GO FORWARD DAILY, STAND TALL UPON THE PILLARS OF TRUSTWORTHINESS, RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY, FAIRNESS, CARING & CITIZENSHIP!!!

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.

A. CONTRIBUTE TOYS TO CHILDREN's HOSPITAL: Thank you once again to the Kvitko family for starting their annual CHILDREN's HOSPITAL TOY DRIVE. Starting on Monday, 9/21, you will find collection bins for toys in front of the school. New toys or those still in good shape may be dropped off to be enjoyed by the patients at Children's Hospital in Oakland. Many thanks, Kvitkos!!!
B. DONATE HALLOWEEN COSTUMES, MASKS, HATS, DRESS-UP CLOTHES, ETC. FOR THE HOMELESS CHILDREN OF SHELTER, INC., to the donation bin in front of the school. Thank you to Girl Scout Troop 32154 for sponsoring this worthwhile drive! Thank you for supporting the Pillars of Caring , Responsibility & Citizenship!
C. UPCOMING PAY IT FORWARD EVENTS:
1. Monday, October 5: COINS FOR A CURE JUVENILE DIABETES DRIVE BEGINS
2. Walk to Cure Diabetes; Heather Farms, Sunday, 10.04.09, 10:00 AM.
3. Light the Night Leukemia Walk; Civic Park, Walnut Creek, Saturday, 10.03.09, 5:30 PM.

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 Mr. Anke's 4th grade, student spelling groups are differentiated according to how they pretest. The lessons and work they do in those groups are relative to their stage of development as spellers.

*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.

Bruce L. Wodhams
Principal
Springhill Elementary School
3301 Springhill Road
Lafayette, CA 94549

bwodhams@lafsd.k12.ca.us

This week was has been busy for Parents and Teachers with conferences. It is a great opportunity to meet your child's teacher and thank them for the fantastic job they do working with our children!

A big thank you to Corinne Christensen and Stephanie Marrone for putting their hearts and boundless energy into planning the Golf Tournament - unfortunately it has been cancelled. They really put out a huge effort - the Springhill community thanks you both! On another fundraising note - we have booked Dr. Sammann's barn on Happy Valley Road for our Parent Party! The date is April 17th at 6pm. The theme is still being discussed but you can count on a very fun, relaxing, and casual evening. If you would like to get involved in the planning of this event please contact Jennifer Bielawski at tjbielawski@gmail.com or me at uvdonlon@aol.com. This is a Springhill Elementary Community and your input is important! I also heard that Family Movie Night was a huge success - many thanks to the Workman, Topping, and Ohleyer Families. Also many thanks to ALL the parents who host these parties - they are the biggest fundraisers at the Parent Party!

As of this date we are at 77% of our goal of 100% participation in our Direct Solicitation Campaign!! Thank you to all who participated and remember you can still participate if you haven't yet! Please contact Vicki Edwards at vickinlafayette@comcast.net if you have any questions or would like to donate. We are grateful to all our families - you put your heart and souls into providing the very best for all of our children!

Remember to buy that Sally Foster gift wrap! A big thank you to Melissa Johnston and Gabrielle Ohleyer for doing a wonderful job of advertising, organizing, and problem solving - we are grateful!

We are launching a "green" initiative called Lafayette Green Team which will be a collaborative effort of all the district schools. The first meeting will be at Springhill on October 16th - we will be well represented by Kristen Altbaum, Roxie Maisano, and Meg McAdam at this meeting. Thank you to all who responded to the request for volunteers - we could only ask a few to the initial meeting but you will be part of the Springhill Green Committee that will be formed after this meeting. We are very excited about this opportunity!

As always have a great weekend - enjoy the Indian Summer!

Julie Donlon
2009-2010 Springhill PFC President
uvdonlon@aol.com

Thank You!!!
Thank you to all our Lafayette Art & Wine Festival volunteers - students and adults. As you know, the festival turnout was fantastic and your help in making it a success is appreciated.

LASF "Fact of the Week"
LASF humanities education includes support in literature, languages and social studies. At the elementary level, LASF's Instructor Program introduces students to multi-cultural experiences as they learn about everything from Chinese New Year and Chinese culture, to Native California and its indigenous peoples. History is showcased in units on the Gold Rush and a tour of Lafayette history

"Improving Funding for Public Schools": Concerned about why our schools don't have adequate funding and what can be done? Join us for a lively panel discussion on Tuesday, Sept. 29th, 7:00-9:00 pm, at the Contra Costa County Office of Education, (CCCOE), 77 Santa Barbara St., Pleasant Hill. The four speakers on the panel include: Dr. Joe Ovick, County Supt. of Schools, Nancy Vandell, Education Commissioner, CA State PTA , Eric Heins, Region One Director, California Teachers Association, and Craig Cheslog, Director for Assemblymember Tom Torlakson. Come hear experts explain why our schools don't have enough money and, more importantly, what we can do about it, including grassroots movements to solve the budget crisis. Hosted by the League of Women Voters and the CCCOE.

Upcoming November 3rd Election: Measure G Acalanes Union High School District Parcel Tax renewal is on the ballet. Make sure you are registered to vote. If you are already registered and would like to vote by mail, apply online for an absentee ballot at http://www.cocovote.us/content.aspx?id=72. Questions? Contact Springhill's Leg. Rep. Karen Yuen at kyuen@fbm.com or go to the Leg Team website at http://www.lastrampaspta.org/Legislation.html.

Gift Wrap Reminder

A few quick tips and reminders for the
Sally Foster Gift Wrap Sale :

1. Tax is worked into the price of the items, so don't add it at the end!
2. On-line and door to door sales available. Both sale methods require account number which is: 0221266
3. Make checks payable to the: Springhill PFC
4. If you have questions contact:

Gabrielle Ohleyer at mohleyer@comcast.net, 284- 5968
Melissa Johnston at johnstonfam@comcast.net, 280- 1039

Gift Wrap Orders Due:
Wednesday, September 30

Remember, there are over 100 reasons to read. This week reason number 2 is "You can have the adventure of your lifetime."

This week fifth graders reviewed how to read and use call numbers and learned the basics of the Dewey Decimal System.

With the half days the rest of the week, I only saw my morning classes.

Our story for Ms. Newcomb's fourth graders revolved around Hispanic Americans to honor Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept.15-Oct. 15). The Tortilla Quilt by Jane Tenorio- Coscarelli is the story of a young Hispanic girl whose grandmother works as the cook on a large rancho in 1880. Maria wants to make a quilt and is helped by her grandmother (who gives her old flour and cornmeal sacks) and others at the rancho to create a quilt of wonderful memories, which she then gives to her grandmother. After reading this book, we took a closer look at the quilt donated to the library by some of the 1999-2000 fourth grade parents.

Third graders heard the inspiring story of Ellen Ochoa, Ellen Ochoa, Reach for the Stars! by Donna Latham. Ms Ochoa is a California native who became the world's first Hispanic woman in space. With no Hispanic or women role models, she had never thought of being an astronaut when she was a student. Now she hopes that her successes will encourage other young women, especially young Hispanic women, to explore fields that they might never have considered before. She tells them to "reach for the stars" and emphasizes the importance of a good education.

Ms. Spain's second graders talked about signs of autumn and heard a book and poems related to the season, which began on Tuesday. Steven Schnur's Autumn: an Alphabet Acrostic kept them studying the pictures for clues and guessing what each acrostic word was.

No first grade classes came to the library this week. Kindergartners also heard a book and poems about autumn. Eileen Spinelli's I Know It's Autumn reminded us to notice and delight in the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and feel of the season. Don't forget to check out our website at http://www.lafsd.k12.ca.us/people/smattern/index.htm .You will find updates on what's happening at the Springhill Library, an revised library wish list, reviews of new books, and links to many helpful resources too.

Sherry Mattern, Library Specialist

5th Grade Drama Production - Grease, Jr.
Calling all 5th grade actors!!! Put on your poodle skirt, jeans and leather jacket and get ready to sing & dance with all your friends to the musical production of Grease, Jr. Leslie Noel, founder of The Peter Pan Foundation, will be our director this year. Rehearsals will be on Fridays from 2:40-5:00 and begin on Friday, November 6th in the Springhill MultiPurpose room. Performances will take place on Monday, March 1st and Tuesday, March 2nd at Stanley Middle School. There will be an assembly for the 5th grade students on Friday, October 9th at 2:00 pm. A MANDATORY parent meeting will take place on Monday, October 12th at 7:00 pm in the Springhill Library. Please plan on attending this meeting to sign up your actor and find out all of the details! Look for a flyer with more details in your child's backpack on Friday, September 25th. Please contact Kim Stewart, hkstewart@yahoo.com, or Doreen de Roque, dderoque1@yahoo.com with any questions.

We Need Your Old Halloween Costumes & Dress- up Clothes!!
Springhill's 3rd grade Brownie troop #32154 wants to make sure the children of Shelter, Inc. have Halloween costumes this year! All sizes for both girls and boys are needed. Please bring your donation to school in a clear ziplock bag labeled with description, gender and age/size and place it in the bin outside of the office. Your help is greatly appreciated! For more information, please contact Chris Peters at chrisnshari@comcast.net.

TOY DRIVE for Children's Hospital Oakland - Monday, September 21st
We will be collecting donations of NEW toys, art and craft supplies, baby items, games and gently used books. The collection bins will be placed in front of the office. For details on which items are needed, please refer to the website: http://www.childrenshospitaloakland.org/join/join_othe r - donations.asp Your donations will help supplement the activities and entertainment provided for the patients and will brighten the kids' holidays.
Please call Galina Kvitko (925.299.9200) if you have any questions.

Box Tops for Education collection
Box Tops for Education is a program that General Mills started in order to help schools raise money for themselves. They support schools by offering 10 cent coupons on their product lablels. Please collect your box tops from General Mills products and place in the Box Tops for Education box located in the Springhill office. These coupons really add up when we all pitch in and as we all know we need every little bit these days. Any questions email wendykmurphy@yahoo.com.

Attention Third Grade Parents:
In this week's Friday Folders you will receive information about the OLSAT (Otis Lennon School Abilities Test), which will be given to all third graders in the Lafayette School District during the week of October 12th. The OLSAT is a standardized cognitive abilities test that is taken by children across the nation. It will be used in planning the best possible educational program for your child.
Please return the permission slip for testing to your child's teacher by October 9th. If you would like more information, you are invited to attend a parent information meeting on Tuesday, September 29, 2009, at 6:30 p.m. at the Lafayette School District Office Boardroom, 3477 School Street. Questions may be directed to Rachel Zinn at the district office at 927- 3511.

The garden has been a busy place the last few weeks! Many of the children have already visited the garden with Mrs. Brast during their science class. More classes are scheduled to visit where they will learn to compost, harvest Fall fruits & vegetables, taste a few new things like eggplant ratatouille, and there's always weeding & mulching!
Special thanks to the following people for their time in the garden: RJ, Fox(1st grade) & Gary (2nd grade) Fleischman built the greenhouse shelves; Springhill alum Peter Mitchell has painted the tool shed; and Behzad Abkenari (Roya & Leda's Dad) dug an electrical trench & built 2 planter boxes for us! We really appreciate your help!!
Our Wednesday Work Days schedule is on the PFC website calendar - our next one is October 7 at 9am! We'd love your help on a Wednesday or if you'd like to assist with a evening/weekend project, please contact Kathy Hemmenway at khemmenway@aol.com.

To submit entries to the Friday Flyer, email Beth Roosa: 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