What's New at Walnut?
December, 2017
Principal's Message
During this season of hope, joy, and giving, I want to take a moment to express what a gift it is for me to be the principal at Walnut Elementary. I am inspired every day by working with such a dedicated and talented staff. Parents, it is a joy to partner with you as part of the "village" it takes to raise caring, passionate, well-educated children. The students, of course, make every day worthwhile and give all of our efforts their purpose. Thank you all for everything you do to make Walnut a special place to grow and learn. I wish you all a wonderful holiday season, and I'm looking forward to all we will accomplish in 2018! --Mrs. Wall
PTA NEWS
Adopt-a-Family
PTA's Adopt-a-Family program is a longstanding holiday tradition at Walnut. This year, the PTA is adopting three Walnut families. If you would like to contribute to helping make the holidays brighter for members of our community, please follow the directions on the flyer coming home soon. The PTA will pick up donated items from classrooms, so feel free to send in items with your child. Donation suggestions include clothes, toys, games, books, art supplies, and gift cards. All donations are due to your child's teacher by Friday, December 15th. Be sure to label them according to which family number and which family member (example: Family #1, 8-year-old boy).
Holiday Shop 2017
Walnut's Holiday Shop is filled with homemade items donated by students, families, and staff members. It is a fun place for students to "shop" for inexpensive gifts for loved ones, but adults are welcome to shop, too! The Holiday Shop will be open after school on Wednesday-Friday (at 1:30 and 2:30), December 13th-15th. If you have craft items you'd like to donate, please deliver them to school by Monday, December 11th. The PTA is also looking for volunteers to staff the shop and help students wrap gifts. A sign-up sheet is in the office.
McTeachers' Night at McDonald's
Don't miss our second annual McTeachers' Night at McDonald's on Wendy Drive. The fun will take place on Wednesday, December 13th, from 5-8 p.m. Walnut staff members will be working the registers, making fries, creating shakes & McFlurries, and visiting with families in the dining room. There will be a free raffle, and our older spirit wear shirts will be available for $5. McDonald's will donate 25% of the proceeds to Walnut (excluding the drive-through). Last year, this was our highest grossing restaurant night fundraiser, and we hope to break the record this year!
Safety in Emergency Situations
Our recent lock-down event gave us the opportunity to look again at our emergency procedures. Staff and students did an excellent job at following safety protocols when a local CVS was robbed on November 18th and Walnut went into lock-down as a precaution. Parents can be assured that student safety is our top priority, and all students were accounted for and safely in classrooms before anything else was done. We will always do our best to notify parents in a timely manner, although this does happen after student safety is verified. Other than attendance messages, Walnut rarely sends home any phone calls--relying instead on e-mail communication. If you receive a phone call from the school during a school day, please take a moment to listen to the message rather than calling the school. We need to keep the phone lines open to communicate with emergency personnel. Also, during a lock-down situation, it is important that parents not be out in the parking lot. You need to protect yourself for the sake of your children. We will keep the children protected indoors until law enforcement tells us that the area is safe. Each classroom has emergency supplies, extra water, snacks (thanks, PTA!), and a portable toilet if necessary. If we need to have a real lock-down again in the future, we will keep parents notified as we did in this recent event. If there is a need to evacuate, we will notify parents as well. Remember that during an evacuation, students will only be released to adults listed on the emergency card that are able to show identification. During a lock-down, all doors will remain locked, including the office doors. Feel free to contact Mrs. Wall if you have any questions about our emergency procedures.
Target Time and LEAD Session II Begin this Month
Students in grades 1-5 will begin their second session of small group instruction in Target Time beginning December 5th. Parents will receive letters informing them of which skills their child will be focusing on this trimester--as well as which teacher will be teaching their class. All students participate in Target Time for 30 minutes four times per week. Teachers work together to analyze assessment data in order to form appropriate groups each trimester. Areas of focus are determined by student need, and they range from basic phonics skills to language arts enrichment. The goal is a "just right fit" for each child. Students also participate in LEAD (Language Enrichment and Development). LEAD gives all students the chance to enhance their language skills, whether they are learning English, have reached English fluency, or are native English speakers. Our credentialed academic specialists, Ms. Howie, Mrs. Caswell, Mrs. Dann, Ms. Hammer, and Ms. Bray-Corfield join our classroom teachers in teaching Target Time and LEAD groups so that groups can remain small and individually-tailored.
School Attendance--Don't Forget to Phone in Absences
Did you know that school attendance has a direct correlation with student success now and in the future? Starting in Kindergarten, too many absences can lead to students falling behind in school, reading later, and increasing the odds that students won't finish high school (from Attendance Works). Walnut and CVUSD as a whole are putting extra focus this year on promoting good attendance. You have probably received a message from Dr. Santos, Director of Student Services, informing you of our "Under 8" goal of having all students in school each day on time. Once a student misses 10% of school days, they are considered to be chronically absent. At this point, a letter is sent home to parents. Of course, we don't want students to come to school if they are ill. Please remember to let the school office know if your child is absent by calling the absence line. It is fine to tell your child's teacher, but the office needs to be aware in order to clear an excused absence. Thank you for putting in every effort to have your child at school each day to give them every chance at reaching their full potential.
Meet a Walnut Staff Member--Ms. Bray-Corfield
We have been fortunate to have Ms. Barbara Bray-Corfield working with students at Walnut as an academic specialist since 2012. She supports student learning in math, language arts, and English language development. Last year, she began a new math program for 2nd and 3rd graders called "Rocket Math." Ms. Bray-Corfield grew up in Arcadia, CA. Her favorite subject in school was math. She earned her teaching credential at the University of Hawaii and taught at Makakilo Elementary School in Oahu for two years before moving back to Southern California. Ms. Bray-Corfield also has an administrative credential and served as the principal of Williams Elementary School in Glendora. She also directed the Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) program for 5 years, assisting over 1,000 beginning teachers clear their credentials. Outside of school, Ms. Bray-Corfield enjoys dance, fitness, and golf. She has two sisters, and the three of them have been planning large family reunions for the last 7 years for their relatives in California and North Carolina. One fun fact about Ms. Bray-Corfield is that she was a contestant on a TV show called "Crosswits," and she won the grand prize of a 3-week trip to Europe! Ms. Bray-Corfield loves working with the kind and caring staff at Walnut. In her words, "I am proud to be a part of Walnut's staff dedicated to helping each student achieve his or her potential."
Mark Your Calendar
December 5--Target Time Session II begins
December 7--School Site Council, open to the public, 3:00 p.m. in Room 21
December 8--Report Cards go home today
December 8--Adopt-a-Family items due today
December 12--Awards Assemblies. You will be notified if your child is receiving an award
December 13--PTA Meeting, 1:45 p.m., Room 12, all are welcome!
December 13--McDonald's Night, beginning at 5:00 p.m.
December 13-15--Holiday Shop open after school, Room 21
December 18--Chorus and Advanced Strings Holiday Concert, 7:00 p.m., MPR
December 22--NO SCHOOL; Winter Break begins
January 8--School Resumes
Walnut Elementary School
Walnut is a little elementary school with a BIG heart, where every student is valued and encouraged to develop a lifelong love of learning. We believe in developing the whole child, so we invest in the visual and performing arts, technology, and physical fitness in addition to traditional academics. Walnut has an active PTA, School Site Council, and English Language Advisory Council. Each of these groups of parents and community members would LOVE to have YOU join them in making sure Walnut provides the best possible learning environment for students and families. Please contact us if you'd like to know more. --Mrs. Wall, Principal
Email: awall@conejousd.org
Website: conejousd.org/walnut
Location: 581 Dena Drive, Newbury Park, CA, United States
Phone: (805) 498-3608
Facebook: facebook.com/WalnutBEAT
Twitter: @AWallWalnut