Friday, November 13
Visit of Betsy the Fire Engine from Lafayette Library/Learning Center
5th Grade Play Rehearsal; Library, 2:40 PM-5:00 PM
Book Fair set up in MP Room; all day

Monday, November 16
PFC Book Fair; MP Room
7:15 AM: Teacher Breakfast and Walkthrough
11:45 AM: Student Walkthrough begins (schedule forthcoming)
School Site Council Mtg.; Office, 3:00 PM

Tuesday, November 17
PFC Book Fair; MP Room
Lunch outside
RAPPORT; DO, 9:00 AM

Wednesday, November 18
PFC Book Fair; MP Room
Lunch outside
LSD Board Mtg.; DO, 7:00 PM

Thursday, November 19
PFC Book Fair; MP Room
PFC-Sponsored Poets-in-the-Schools, 4th grade

Friday, November 20
END 1st TRIMESTER
3rd Grade Pilgrim Feast; Upper Yard, 10:45 AM-11:50 AM
PFC Book Fair take down; MP Room
5th Grade Play Rehearsal; MP Room, 2:40 PM-5:00 PM

Monday, November 23
District Inservice Day; Student Holiday

Tuesday, November 24
District Inservice Day; Student Holiday

Wednesday, November 25
District Holiday

Thursday, November 26
Thanksgiving Holiday

Friday, November 27
District Holiday

Saturday, November 28
Eid al Adha

Monday, November 30
CC County Food Bank Drive Begins; 11/30-12/14
Picture Make-up Day; MP Room, 10:45 AM-11:45 AM

Tuesday, December 1
Bargain Book Bonanza; noon

Wednesday, December 2
PFC Executive Board Mtg.; Lounge, 5:30 PM
Thursday, December 3
PFC-Sponsored Poets-in-the-Schools, 4th grade (see schedule)

Friday, December 4
REPORT CARDS GO HOME
5th Grade Play Rehearsal; MP Room, 2:40 PM-5:00 PM

A. DOGS ON CAMPUS: We must insist that you do not bring your dogs to campus at arrival, dismissal or special sharing. Dogs are not allowed on campus for a very good reason--they can become agitated around crowds of children and become a danger to all. Please adhere to this rule no matter how well behaved you think your dog might be. Thank you.

B. PARKING LOT: Please do not enter the EXIT driveway of the parking lot at any time, no matter how convenient or safe it might appear. Set a good example for all of our students by being safe and courteous and following the rules. Thank you.

C. THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ATTENDED OUR ANNUAL FALL MUSIC ASSEMBLY: A special thank you to Mrs. Ghulam and the 5th Grade Chorus, to Ms. Clymer and all of our guest musicians and our 1st, 2nd & 3rd grade singers! It was a spectacular show!

D. H1N1 UPDATE: In order to keep you apprised of the latest information we have regarding the H1N1 virus, we have compiled a list of H1N1 FAQs which you can view by going to: http://www.lafsd.k12.ca.us/springhill/

E. PARENT VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: We are getting ready to introduce our before school reading intervention program. We will be working on reading fluency and comprehension for those students who are in need of support in these areas. We are looking for enthusiastic, conscientious parent volunteers who are willing to put in time before school to work in the computer lab with two teachers, Helen Hirsch (2nd grade teacher) and Jeannine Pitney (retired reading specialist). The program will start on November 2, 2009 and end on January 29th 2010. The program will run Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 7:50- 8:30 am. If you are interested in helping us one, two or all three of these days please contact Helen Hirsch or Susan Manzano at (925) 927-3580.

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

THE SIX PILLARS & PAY IT FORWARD CORNER

"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out." ---John Wooden

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. LEFTOVER HALLOWEEN CANDY: Thank you GIRL SCOUT TROOP #33005 for collecting 148 pounds of Halloween leftovers for the Contra Costa County Food Bank, supporting the Pillars of Caring, Responsibility & Citizenship!

B. COINS FOR A CURE: Thank you to all who contributed your spare change to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) COINS FOR A CURE Program. Thank you for supporting the Pillars of Caring & Responsibility.

C. DONATIONS FOR OUR SERVICE MEN & WOMEN SERVING IN IRAQ & AFGHANISTAN: DVDs, comic books, toiletries, magazines, etc.---all are welcome donations for Evan Gordon, Campolindo Junior, and his Eagle Scout effort to provide much- needed items for our service members now in the Mideast. Look for the donation bin in front of the Office beginning Monday, November 9. Thank you for supporting the Pillars of Caring, Responsibility & Citizenship!!!

D. THANK YOU TO ALL PARENTS WHO ATTENDED OUR PRIMARY FOCUS/ CHARACTER COUNTS! ASSEMBLY LAST WEEK: As an extension of our RED RIBBON WEEK, it was our culminating activity for Springhill students during this important character building month that will set the character expectations for the rest of the year and beyond. Many thanks, once again, to Karen Elliott and her many volunteers for coordinating all of these beneficial activities!

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 Ms. Hungerford's 5th grade, students engage in Math Menus. Students are in groups of 5, and move around the room to 5 different stations. Each station provides them with various levels of difficulty, based on their own skill level. For example, the Marcy Cook Tiles are self paced, allowing them to work at their own level as well as challenging them well beyond 5th grade math standards. At another station they work on Versatiles

*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.

TEAM GREEN CORNER
THE NEW FOUR Rs: Reduce, Re-Use, Recycle & Rot

A. SPRINGHILL TEAM GREEN: We had our first SPRINGHILL TEAM GREEN Meeting last week and have set a very ambitious green agenda for the year. You will be hearing much more in the near future as to how you can be part of the green solution as we pursue the following:
1. Exploring school and community green pursuits that allow us to better address the State Standards/ Benchmarks as well as the Lafayette School District Strategic Plan;
2. Exploring school and community green pursuits that provide a fiscal benefit to the schools and community;
3. Exploring school and community green pursuits that address and enhance character development programs already in place (e.g. CHARACTER COUNTS! in the Lafayette School District). Springhill School pays it forward by keeping it green, supporting the Pillars of Caring, Respect, Responsibility & Citizenship!!!

B. REDUCE SPRINGHILL's CARBON FOOTPRINT (and get some exercise as well!!!): Supporting our Pillars of Respect (for the environment) and Citizenship (a community effort), Springhill is once again reinstituting a tradition of Wednesday Walkers--encouraging students to walk or ride bikes to school daily, but particularly on one day of the week. Of course, we would not encourage such a practice unless conditions were safe for our walkers and bike riders. Thank you.

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

bwodhams@lafsd.k12.ca.us

I hope you all enjoyed the midweek break - I know I did! The days are shorter and time seems to be flying by - are we ready for the winter holiday????

The Springhill Book Faire starts on Monday, November 16th and runs through Thursday, November 19th. I would like to correct something from my previous letter - the vendor who will be at the Book Faire is Paperweight located in downtown Lafayette. They will have gifts for the upcoming holidays that will be sure to please anyone on your list! Family Shopping Night is Tuesday from 5:30 - 8:30 - so bring the family, eat some pizza, and get a jump on your holiday shopping! Thank you to the Book Faire Chairs Sheryl Lauer and Catherine McCarthy - I am looking forward to a fun and successful event!

One last thank you to Karen Elliott and her team for a fantastic Red Ribbon Week! I would also like to thank Rhodora del Rosario for providing the lunch and dinner for Primary Focus on behalf of the Springhill PFC.

We need help in both lots during the afternoon pick up - if you are interested please contact me at uvdonlon@aol.com. Thank you to Nanette Heffernan for directing the morning traffic on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays! I have seen a marked improvement in the mornings and afternoons - Thank you!!!! If you would like to be on the agenda for the next PFC General Meeting on February 3rd 2010 in the Library at 7pm - remember it's your PFC! We want to hear from you so please join us and be a part of our wonderful community!

Well this was short and sweet. If you have someone you feel needs a shout out please let me know! Have a great weekend - final weekend of LMYA soccer - on to basketball!

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

Photos Needed
LASF is working on a visual presentation for our annual fundraising event in January and we need to start collecting photos for our annual report. We need photos showing a broad range of ages and activities - kids doing LASF classroom activities plus special events like art or science fairs, choral, drama or instrumental music or other performances. If you have digital photos of your child which you would allow us to use, please contact your LASF head rep, Sally Fonstein at (925) 285-9608 or sfonstein@comcast.net.

Numbers Tell the Story
Although photos may be a better way to tell our story (see above), we have some numbers that may interest you, too. This week, LASF instructors will teach a total of 73 different science, art and social studies classes between the four LAFSD elementary schools and Stanley Middle School. Not only is that a lot of classes but the number doesn't even include all the LASF-funded choral and instrumental music classes that will be held. By sheer number of classes alone, you can see that "Every Child, Every Classroom, Every Dollar Counts" is more than just a fundraising slogan - it is the way we serve the children in our district every day.

Annual Event - Starry, Starry Night
On Saturday January 30th, LASF is hosting our major fundraising party for the year with the theme a "Starry, Starry Night". In preparation, we are soliciting items for live and silent auction. To donate, please contact our Auction Coordinators, Mary Bakos at (925) 284- 4795 or mlbakos@yahoo.com or Carrie Barlow at (415) 606-4949 or purecurls@mtbarlow.com. If you have any questions or need ideas on how you can help, please don't hesitate to contact your school site rep, Sally Fonstein at (925) 285-9608 or sfonstein@comcast.net.

Remember, there are over 100 reasons to read. This week reason number 9 is "You can explore new horizons."

Our Book Fair is almost here! Plan to come by and see all the fantastic books the Storyteller is offering for sale and, new this year, some exciting products from Paperweight. We have a great crew who will be setting up and staffing the fair. They have some special new events planned for all of us to enjoy. Tuesday night is Family Shopping Night and Wednesday is Sports Night. Half the Book Fair profits will go to the library and the other half will go into the PFC general fund, so be sure to come and help support Springhill and our library.

Due to the Veteran's Day holiday I didn't see the kindergartners this week.

Otis the tractor and a little calf became close friends. But when a big, yellow tractor came to the farm Otis was forgotten until the little calf got stuck in Mud Pond. Would anybody be able to save the calf? First graders had fun seeing all the different vehicles that tried to rescue the little calf in Otis by Loren Long.

Turtle and Possum were sharing ripe persimmons one day when Wolf came along and tried to steal the fruit. Possum cleverly stopped Wolf but Turtle convinced himself that he was the one who had stopped Wolf. Turtle began bragging so much that the other wolves got together, captured Turtle, and taught him a lesson. Second graders enjoyed hearing the Cherokee tale How Turtle's Back Was Cracked, retold by Gayle Ross.

What do you do when the mayor wants to tear down the Liddleville Historical Society to make way for a shoelace factory? If you're Imogene Tripp, who has a passion for history, you do what some of her favorite historical heroes did-you fight for what you believe is right. Not only did the third graders note references to some famous and not so well-known historical figures, they also found out how Imogene was able to save her beloved Historical Society in Imogene's Last Stand by Candace Fleming.

After a quick review of compass roses, bar scales, legends, and coordinates in an index, the fourth graders showed that they understood and could use these tools to answer questions about a map of California found in the World Almanac Atlas.

Every society has one (or more) stories of how its people were created. A Miwok creation myth holds that Coyote created animals who then brainstormed what the perfect man should be like. Fifth graders heard this story, Lord of the Animals, retold by Fiona French. Next they heard a Northwest Coast tribe's story of their creation that involved ravens, "Young Raven and Old Raven" found in Chief Lelooska's book Spirit of the Cedar People. Then the students compared the two stories, noting similarities and differences. As an added bonus, we heard Chief Lelooska himself telling his story on a CD that comes with the book.

Don't forget to swing by our new Lafayette Library and Learning Center this Saturday, the day of its grand opening. A number of events are planned throughout the day as part of the celebration.

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, a revised library wish list, reviews of new books, and links to many helpful resources.

Sherry Mattern, Library Specialist

Springhill School PFC Student Directories
were distributed in the Friday Folders last Friday, Nov. 6. It's not too late to join the PFC. A limited number of directories are available for $20 if you join now. Please email Melissa Lee at tandmlee@msn. com if you have questions or to join.

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BOOKFAIR
HELP MAKE THIS YEAR'S BOOK FAIR A HOME RUN!
NOVEMBER 16th - 19th
Come do your holiday shopping and raise money for Springhill's Library and PFC with your purchase of great new books and holiday gifts provided by the Storyteller and Paperweight. 50% of all proceeds go the library and 50% to the PFC.
BOOK FAIR HOURS:
Monday 11/16 - Wednesday 11/18, 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Thursday 11/19, 8:00 - 9:00 a.m.
(please note start time is 8:00 a.m., not 7:30 a.m. as stated on flyers distributed to students)
DON'T MISS THIS YEAR'S FUN EVENING EVENTS: Tuesday November 17th, 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.: FAMILY SHOPPING NIGHT! Take the night off from making dinner and peruse the Book Fair while your kids eat pizza (6-7pm), make a craft and play a carnival game. Pizza slices $2, pizza & drink $3. We'll even gift wrap your books for free!
Wednesday November 18th, 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.: SPORTS NIGHT!Come sing "Take Me Out To The Ballpark" and other school favorites with Mr. Wodhams and participate in the Book Fair's exciting Sports Raffle and Classroom Pizza Party Raffle. Sports Raffle prizes include an autographed Giant's baseball plus Warriors, Sharks and Giants tickets ... and more. Wear your favorite baseball hat and jersey and receive a free licorice rope!
RAFFLE TICKETS: For every $25 spent at the Book Fair, receive a raffle ticket to enter the Classroom Pizza Party drawing. Tickets for the Sports Raffle are $1 each, 7 for $5 or 15 for $10. CASH & CHECKS ONLY! Credit card purchases significantly reduce Book Fair profits. Please call Catherine McCarthy, 256-9464 or Sheryl Lauer, 962-9388 if you have any questions.

Holiday Wreath Sale
The PFC will be kicking off the holidays with a wreath sale with Honey Bear Trees. The wreaths are 24" mixed greens and pine cones and sell for $28 each. Honey Bear Trees will generously donate $10 from each wreath sold back to our PFC! When it's time to get your tree, the same lot (the lot across the street from Acalanes High School) will donate 20% from your purchase price back to us! To order your wreaths, please contact Jennifer Bielawski at TJBielawski@gmail.com or 949-8822.

Thanksgiving Camp at Kid's Hideout
Are you looking for something for your kids to do during Thanksgiving Break? Kids Hideout is accepting registration for the Thanksgiving week. Springhill will be closed the whole week. Hideout will be open on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Please join us for Holiday crafts, games and activities. Each child will bring home their own mini- pie on Wednesday. You can download the form at www.kidshideout.net, then click on the "Forms" tab. If you sign up and pay for all three camps (Thanksgiving, Winter and Spring Break) by Friday, October 30th, you can take 20% off the "Camp rate" for all three weeks. (Please note: The deadline has been extended!!) For questions, please contact Beth at 925- 283-7808 or beth@kidshideout.net.

Announcing: "How Drugs Hijack the Teenage Brain: Do you really know how marijuana and alcohol interfere with the learning that is supposed to take place during the teenage years?"

A Parent Education Evening with Ralph Cantor, Tuesday, November 17th at 7:00 p.m. in the MUR at Stanley.

Adolescence is the time when teens are supposed to be working on self identity, dealing with stress, boredom, emotional growth, intellectual development and learning to socialize with others. Drugs and alcohol not only impair decision making abilities but also interrupt your child's ability to master these developmental tasks. Join us at Stanley for an informative evening and Q & A with esteemed Drug Educator, Ralph Cantor and the Stanley Counseling Staff. Sponsored by the Stanley PTA.

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