Ohlone Family Connection
April 12, 2021
Hello, Ohlone Families
I hope your spring break was exactly what you needed. My youngest son celebrated his 14th birthday. How time flies :). He is now taller than me and his voice is definitely deeper than mine. I have had a beautiful week at the pool, at the beach, and on walks with the pups. I even had a brief visit with my oldest son and had dinner al fresco with my mom. Something I have not done in a very long time.
There is a lot packed into these last 9 weeks of school! Yes, 9 weeks! We will be busy bees! I will keep my message short as this OFC is chunky. I hope you like the picture of the Ohlone bees above. It is from the Principal's Bee Tea two years ago with Sonya. Good times :).
I am looking forward to the five-day return for Rooms 26, 27, and 30 this week!
Dawn
Ohlone Principal
On the April Horizon
4/12 - 4/5 Hybrid Returns Full-Time
4/12 - Student Council Meeting - 3:15-4:004/14 - Crazy Anything Spirit Day - Cohort A & FDL
4/14 - BIPOC Affinity Group Meeting - 6:30-7:30pm
4/15 - Crazy Anything Spirit Day - Cohort B
4/15 - Parent Leadership Team (PLT) - 12:30-1:15
4/16 - Asynchronous Day for 2/3 Hybrid
4/16 - Ohlone Times - 12:00-12:30
4/17 - Farm Work Day - 9-12
Earth Week - April 19-23
Staff Appreciation - April 20-22
4/19 - 2/3 Hybrid Returns Full-Time
4/19 - Farm Council - 12:30-2:00
4/20 - PTA Exec Board - 3:15-4:45
4/20 - PAUSD Board Meeting - 6:30pm
4/21 - Core Values Committee - 6:00-7:30pm
4/23 - Asynchronous Day for K/1 Hybrid
4/23 - PTA General Meeting - 2:45-3:30
The 7-Day Student Equity Challenge Begins!
The question to discuss at home this week is, "What is Your Race? Why?" There are two marvelous books to choose from and one is a read aloud by author, Julius Lester. Read both if you like. Most importantly, open a door for dialogue for your children to talk, share their thoughts, and ask questions. It's okay if you don't have all of the answers or if it comes out messy. What is most important is that we begin to talk about race and normalize this for our children.
Please also feel free to explore the Equity Book List for other titles of interest!
BIPOC Affinity Group - April 14
We are holding our third BIPOC meeting this week, Wednesday, April 14 from 6:30-7:30pm.
As a reminder, the BIPOC affinity group is a safe space and a brave space for anyone that identifies as Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color. It is an informal space that allows members to counter negative experiences with a space that can become a source of strength and community, and can cultivate an atmosphere that uplifts and empowers the narratives and voices of its members. We are really looking forward to seeing you there!
PAUSD Family Leadership Summit - April 17
If you missed the March 27 Family Leadership Summit kick-off event, not to worry. There will be another event this Saturday, April 17. Sign-Up To Attend!
Here is a preview of what was shared, learned, and discussed at the kick-off event. A bit about this Saturday's event follows below:
Aptly named Equity for Academic Success as the sessions in this day of the series revolve around the idea of truly teaching every child. The breakdown of sessions on this day will focus on supporting diverse learners, teaching the whole child, bringing culture into the classroom, breaking down cultural barriers and biases, and the pathway towards college and career success.
Farm Work Day - April 17, 9-12 noon
- Member secure sign-up
- Guest sign-up (no login required):
Questions? Email Kathy Howe, Farm Council Co-Chair @ Kathryn.howe@gmail.com
Health Screeners - Parent Square
- Complete your child's health screener no later than 7:45am each school morning.
- Students will continue to enter and exit through the same gates.
- Students will continue to use hand sanitizer before entering campus.
- Students will wait outside the classroom to have their health screener checked by teacher.
- Students with uncompleted screeners will be sent to office to wait for parent confirmation.
- For pick-up, please have your last name clearly visible on your dashboard.
CAASPP Testing - Grades 3-5
CAASSP Testing is scheduled to begin the week of April 19 for the 4/5 Cluster and the week of April 26 for 3rd grade. Please take note of the following important testing dates. You will hear more details from your child's teacher as the dates draw near.
- Grade 3: April 27, May 4, 5, 11, 12
- Grade 4 & 5: April 20, 21, 27, May 4, 5
- Grade 5 only: May 18
Puberty Talks for 4th & 5th Grade
Spring Fling! Sunday, May 2, 4:00pm
Calling talent of all kinds! Musicians, Singers, Dancers, Jugglers, Jokers, Impersonators, Martial Artists, Gymnasts, Poets, Magicians, Cart-wheelers and more! Share your talent and take a bow!
Ohlone’s annual talent show will be a YouTube Live Premier event, taking place on Sunday, May 2 at 4:00pm. Students who want to participate in this show should create a video clip of their performance and submit it by Friday, April 23, using this Google form. A few guidelines:
- Video clips should be 3 minutes or less.
- Find a setting with good light (outdoor or natural lighting is the best).
- Make sure you have good sound.
- Use landscape mode (horizontal) for better viewing
- Please link to your full quality video on the Google form.
Questions? Contact Alex Nakonechnyj at alexandre_nako@hotmail.com.
Class Placement
I included a message about class placement in the March 11th OFC. I am sending this message about class placement once more, just to be sure you are aware of this temporary change in our process. This has certainly been a year like none other.
This year will be different than other Ohlone years where students stay in the same classroom with the same teacher and cohort of students for two years. Essentially, we will be starting over with placement due to the imbalance created by the learning model choices and staffing shifts made this year. Please know that we are keeping the individual needs of each student in mind as we work to build balanced classrooms that take social-emotional and academic needs into account.
5th Grade Promotion
A Note About Sleep
As we spring forward, the loss of an hour on the clock can impact student learning, health, and happiness. Elementary school aged students need anywhere from 9-13 hours of sleep per night to "clean" and open up synapses in the brain and promote optimal health. Regular routines for sleep and school are vital to learning success as we head toward the finish line of this extraordinarily challenging year and every day.
Check out the article below for tips about promoting healthy sleep habits.
10 Tech Tips for Parents
Screen Time
Open PTA Positions
We still need volunteers! Please consider a new adventure in the upcoming year! Open positions are below:
- Co-VP of Enrichment
- VP of Outreach
- EVP
- Secretary
Click for descriptions: 2021-22 Open PTA Exec Board Positions
Prepared Schools Update for Parents
Parent Resources
PAUSD Parenting Support Series
After School Care
Right at School also has openings for before and after school care. Check out their website!
Dawn
Email: dyoshinaga@pausd.org
Website: www.ohlone.pausd.org
Location: 950 Amarillo Avenue, Palo Alto, CA, USA
Phone: 650-856-1726