Thornhill Elementary PFC Newsletter
Volume 24, Issue 13, November 18, 2016
Principal's Letter...
Dear Thornhill Families,
It was such an honor to receive the 2016 National Blue Ribbon Award for Thornhill last week in Washington, D. C. Thornhill is now among the top 1 percent of schools in the nation. Our success is due to your support as a community and the hard work of all our Thunderbird staff.
In light of how the presidential election may have divided us as a nation, I am confident to report that our staff has taken great care of our students through this process. All classrooms have meetings, and students have opportunities to be heard and express concerns. Some classrooms have had rich discussions and used this as an opportunity to learn about our democracy. The most important thing I would like to share is that our Thunderbirds are safe in the caring hands of a dedicated staff. Our students have shown remarkable resilience as children do. Lastly, I would like to offer a couple of suggestions for us to continue to move forward:
Listen-Some students may have fears that need to be heard. Taking the time to talk and listen to kids and alleviate concerns will go a long way. We all need to be heard at some time.
Unplug-It is probably a good time to unplug from the media, technology etc. One would be hard-pressed to say they are not oversaturated by the media coverage of this election. Try it, you’ll like it.
Connect-The need to connect with nature and friends is so important. Take a walk in nature and take in the beauty that surrounds us. The Bay Area has amazing hikes. My personal favorite is to take a walk near or to body of water. See your friends and family. You need them and they need you.
I hope these suggestions are helpful to you.
Highlight of the Week:
I saw these students taking a break from their recess break and taking the initiative to start a girl power reading club. I am so proud of our Thunderbirds.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving and remember to have fun.
Sincerely,
Mr. Daubenspeck
Popcorn Fundraiser
Our 5th Grade Fundraiser with Popcorn Palace is underway!
Enjoy your Thanksgiving break with family and friends. And, don't forget to bring the order forms to those family gatherings and sell delicious popcorn this holiday season.
Fifty percent of all the proceeds go right back to Thornhill Elementary. The goal is to sell $75 of popcorn per family for a profit goal of $7,000. A portion of these funds are earmarked for the 5th grade promotion into middle school, yearbook and scholarships to the Marin Headlands.
Please check your child’s backpack for the Popcorn Palace forms and complete NO LATER than Monday November 28t. Keep all order forms in the collection envelope provided and make all checks out to Parents Faculty Club. We need these forms turned in so that we have popcorn goodies to gift our family and friends this Holiday season.
Thank you for your continued support! Let’s go Thunderbirds! Let's get popping!
Linda Lam & Angela Engel
One Warm Coat Donation Drive
Thornhill Dads Club is sponsoring a donation drive this holiday season, working with national charity One Warm Coat. Please look for the collection bin in the school lobby and bring in clean, gently used coats of all types and sizes to donate.
Did you know that a warm winter coat is a budget “extra” for 1 in 5 children living in poverty in the U.S.? All coats collected by the Thornhill community will directly benefit local needs when we deliver them to Alameda County Social Services and East Oakland Youth Development Center. Make sure your kids know, and have them help clean out your closets while giving to the less fortunate this season.
Mural Project Update
Thornhill Parents, we’re 60 percent there and need your help!
As a 2016 National Blue Ribbon School, it is now time for Thornhill to look as grand as it is to our kids!
Please help us fund an exciting, inspirational facelift for the front of our school with a fantastic, four-panel mural planned for the four mobile classrooms facing Thornhill Drive.
The design will be inspiring to our kids and representative of the power of learning, creativity and imagination cultivated every day at Thornhill Elementary.
Many parents are donating their talents, time and the necessary equipment to help us make this happen. If any parent has access to a powerful light projector, we could really use that in lieu of cash.
Now we need your help to fund the supplies required to bring this beautiful mural to life!
It will take several weeks to complete the project and we need your support! Our goal is $5,000 and the design team (Thornhill parents) has launched a GoFundMe campaign to make it easy for you to contribute and tell others.
Visit: gofundme.com/thornhill-mural and please give whatever you can today!
We recognize Thornhill families already go the extra mile to make Thornhill the special place that it is. If every family and supporter of the school chips in, we can reach our goal to transform the face of Thornhill and create a rich environment that kids can enjoy everyday for years to come. Thank you for your support!
Please donate then, share the link!!
Shop and Support Thornhill
With the holidays coming up soon (Thanksgiving is just a week away), we are all likely to be doing more shopping than usual over the next few weeks. Here are some places that will help support Thornhill with your purchases...
Two Options for Groceries Delivered to Your Doorstep + Money Back to Thornhill:
1) Goodeggs.com. 10 percent of purchases is given back to Thornhill between now and the end of the year. Enter THORNHILL at checkout and also get $15 of free groceries on your next order.
2) Grubmarket.com. Enter thornhill20 at checkout and 3 percent of your purchase goes back to Thornhill, plus, you will get 20 percent off your first order.
If you like to shop online, don’t forget to use:
eScrip Online Mall
Shop for good all holiday season long at https://secure.escrip.com/olm/signin.jsp!
AmazonSmile
When you need to order from Amazon (for yourself or for holiday gifts), always start your shopping from this hyperlink: AmazonSmile and Amazon donates .5% to Thornhill Parent-Faculty Club.
Shutterfly Storefront
Buy your holiday cards and photo gifts from our Thornhill PFC Shutterfly Storefront and 13% of your purchase will be donated back to us! Exclusive offer from Tinyprints for Thornhill Parents: 30% off site wide, no minimum order, Plus free shipping. Use this code at checkout to receive this exclusive offer: TPSC492XAX Expires December 31.
Also, Shutterfly gave us 50 promo codes for $10 off a $50 purchase, through 12/31. If you want a promo code, just email escrip@thornhillschool.org, and I’m happy to email you one!
If you like to shop local:
Take a minute first to SIGN UP NOW on BigPie’s website. When you shop at participating businesses (for example, A Great Good Place for Books, Farmstead Cheese & Wine, Crogan’s, Montclair Sports, Annie’s Hallmark and more), you will use your registered email when you make a purchase and the merchant will give back a percentage of the sale to Thornhill!
Questions? Contact Amy Teeling escrip@thornhillschool.org
Lost and Found Items
Hi Parents!
Are you missing a jacket, sweater or something your child may have left behind?
Please come check out our lost and found located in the lobby of the cafeteria. It is filled with items that have been left behind at school. We will be donating all items to charity on December 16. Your precious items may be gone for good if you don't claim them soon!
Thanks,
Mona and Christina- PFC Hospitality chairs
Little League Signups Underway
"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." -- Rogers Hornsby.
Registration is open for Spring 2017 Little League Baseball until December 19!
North Oakland Little League / South Oakland Little League (Noll/Soll) registration is now open for Spring 2017 baseball. Thornhill had more than 50 players participate last year.
Noll Soll has 3 noncompetitive divisions for players in TK – 2nd grade and competitive divisions for players in the 3rdgrade and beyond. The noncompetitive teams are formed on a school basis.
If the school has enough players (around 10-12) at each level, it can have its own team. Last year, Thornhill had 20 Tballers across 2 teams, the highest number of Tballers from any one school in the entire league.
Can this year’s TK and K classes beat that?
Here is a general overview of the divisions:
Non-competitive
Tball: Grades TK-K / Ages 5-6
No score kept / No outs / everyone plays the field / two-thirds of players bat each inning.
Farm A: Mainly 1st graders / Ages 6-8
No score kept / coach pitch / outs are recorded
Farm B: Mainly 2nd graders / Ages 7-9
No score kept / kid pitch / outs are recorded
Competitive Divisions – kids must tryout and are drafted to teams
AA – Mainly 3rd and 4th graders / Ages 8-10
AAA - Mainly 4th and 5th graders / Ages 9-11
Majors – Mainly 5th and 6th graders / Ages 10-12
Click on the link below to register
http://sportability.com/spx/Leagues/Client.asp?ClientID=2
You can visit the Noll Soll website for more information.
Welcome to NOLL/SOLL - NOLL/SOLL
Questions? Contact Anthony D. Wilson. addub_cali@yahoo.com
About the PFC Newsletter
The Thornhill Parent-Faculty Club (PFC) eNews team publishes this weekly newsletter each Friday in the school year to communicate school, PFC and OUSD news, events and information.
Email submissions to our Newsletter Chair, Rex Crum, at newsletter@thornhillschool.org by 3 Wednesday for approval, including Word or Text files with links and no formatting and photos preferably as 150 x 150, 72 dpi JPG or GIFs only (not embedded in email or word file). Submissions may be edited for spelling, grammar, brevity and clarity. Advertising is not accepted.
THANK YOU to everyone who submits articles and to PFC Board Members, Teachers, VP of Communications Mavis Scanlon, PFC Co-Presidents Shauna Fithian and Shanyn Lloyd-Gibson and Principal Steve Daubenspeck. Member of Oakland Unified School District (OUSD).
Email: newsletter@thornhillschool.org
Website: thornhillschool.org
Location: 5880 Thornhill Drive, Oakland, CA, United States
Phone: (510) 339-6800