September 10th, 2008
Back to School Night
Room 15
Sra. Kimberly Moore
Dear Parents,
Welcome to room 15! Under the watchful eye of Montse Armitano, students have already successfully navigated the first few weeks of school, and are quickly developing the routines that will carry us throughout the year. Thank you for your patience and support of my recovery.
I’m very excited about the program that I have planned for the 2008-2009 school year, as well as the opportunity to meet the new students, and families in room 15. I’m sure this year will prove challenging, stimulating, and eventful for all involved!
As indicated, we will spend much of the first month building our classroom community. We are learning about LIFESKILLS, Lifelong Guidelines, classroom consequences (citations), cooling-off (Australia), and conflict resolution strategies (Talk-it-Out). During the next few weeks, we will be learning about the Triune Brain, upshifting and downshifting, and that there are many ways to be intelligent (8 intelligences). These important concepts form the basis of my behavior expectation program for both within and outside of (playground & fieldtrips) the classroom. As members of our classroom community the students are expected to take responsibility for their own choices and actions, while at the same time recognizing the ways in which their choices might effect others (see attached information on Lifelong Guidelines, LIFESKILLS, LIFESKILLS Citations, and the classroom discipline system).
This year, in our integrated science and social studies units, we will be investigating the communities and habitats in and around Palo Alto, from the perspectives of continuity and change. Our yearlong theme, Beyond the Garden Gate starts at home, Escondido School. We will begin with the component of getting to know you, where we will strive to form understanding relationships with ourselves, and within our classroom community. Venturing Beyond the Garden Gate, we will learn about Palo Alto past and present (Palo Alto: A Bird’s Eye View). This unit begins with mapping, and understanding the layout of our community. We then take a look at our peninsula through the eyes of the Ohlone Indian culture that lived in the area before Europeans settled it. Next we take a brief look at Palo Alto/Stanford history, and the founders of our community. Finally, we wrap-up the year with a brief look at Silicon Valley, how it’s changed, why it’s so famous, and what goes on there today (Searching Out the Silicon Valley).
In our science units, we’ll further investigate the habitats of the San Francisco Bay estuary and the salt marsh environment (Wading through the Wetlands), then turn to the Foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains (Following Tracks to the Foothills) to compare these fascinating microenvironments, study Birds of Prey, and integrate our Structures of Life science unit (animal adaptations). Next, we’ll visit the tidepools of the Pacific Coast (Taking stock of the Tidepools), and learn more about the animals and organisms that live on our coast. In this unit we’ll learn about tides and the phases of the moon (Unit: Sun, Moon and Stars).
“Don’t tell me where you went to school, tell me where you’ve been.”
Mark Twain
Current brain research indicates that intelligence is a function of experience, and that the brain learns best through “being there” experiences. Certainly in learning a second language, “being there” experiences generate the excitement, enthusiasm and experience that foster language and it’s use, and help move curricular vocabulary to long term memory. To this end we will be engaging in as many “being there” experiences or fieldtrips as possible. Some of the proposed fieldtrips for the year are: Walking tours of the community around Escondido School, Tyson’s Lagoon, Don Edwards San Francisco Bay Wildlife Refuge, Foothills Park, Palo Alto Baylands Preserve, Intel Museum, Fitzgerald Marine Preserve (see attached list). We hope that the students can count on you to accompany us on our many exciting excursions! (A list of dates, times and costs is attached here).
Several of you have expressed an interest in volunteering in the classroom. I genuinely appreciate your interest and I’m looking forward to working with you. I plan on waiting until the end of September to invite parent volunteers to join our classroom community. I feel that it is crucial to establish a healthy working routine, with procedures and guidelines firmly in place, before beginning to incorporate parent volunteers into our daily schedules. Please keep me posted on your thoughts concerning volunteering in the classroom (Would you like to help with Art? Tutor a student? Do you see yourself taking Math Minutes home to correct? Do you want to work in small groups with students?
Or perhaps you can file papers? Just a few volunteer possibilities…)
Let me know if you are interested in being a Room Parent for Room 15! I would also appreciate help stuffing Friday Folders if anyone is regularly available on that day. In addition, we also need a library volunteer for to accompany students to the library each week, and assist with their check-out and book returns. SIPAPA has requested a liaison from each classroom; this is another way to be active in both the classroom and school community.
I’m including a short Wish List for Room 15; please take time to look it over. Any donations for our Bravo Box would be greatly appreciated.
I very much look forward to getting to know you all better. Please let me know of any questions or concerns you might have. My door is always open!
Sincerely,
Señora Kimberly
kmoore@pausd.org
(650) 856-1337, x115
Wish List for Room 15
Donations for Bravo Box
Clorox or Baby Wipes, Zip-Lock Bags, Kleenex Boxes
Large Throw Pillows (for classroom library)
Gift Cards to PetSmart, PetCo, Michael’s, JoAnn Fabrics or Amazon Books
Amazon Wish List