Thornhill Elementary PFC Newsletter
Volume 26, Issue 34, May 1, 2019
From the PFC President
Well, April went by quickly, didn't it? And it sure went out on a high note following this past weekend's school carnival.
This is another example of Thornhill coming together for the benefit of our school, and our community. There are so many people to thank for their time and efforts, but I would like to single out Marya Edgar, who graciously volunteered to run the carnival this year and spent approximately eleventy bazillion hours (give or take few) to see that the carnival was a success. If you see Marya, don't be shy about thanking her.
With the year winding down, the final PFC Board Meeting is coming up on Monday, May 13 from 6-7pm. All Thornhill parents are welcomed to attend and it would be great to see some new folks who also are interested in joining the PFC board in the upcoming school year. See below in this newsletter about our open positions.
Mahalo,
Rex Crum
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Enrichment Wrap-Up Performance Schedule
Tuesday, May 7th
Doug's Drama (TK/K) 2:20 - 3:15pm in Room 4
Keiki Ukulele 2:20 - 3:00pm in P. 15
Aloha Ukulele 3:05 - 4:00pm in P. 15
Wednesday, May 8th (in the multipurpose room)
Martial Arts 3:45 - 4:00pm
Jazz Band 4:05 - 4:20pm
African Dance 4:25 - 4:55pm
3 O'Clock Rock 5:00 - 5:15pm
Doug's Drama (1st/2nd) 6:30 - 7:30pm
Thursday, May 9th
Movie, Music, Magic 3:05 - 4:00pm in P. 16
DATE CHANGE
Monday, May 20th
PPAS Drama Performance 6:00pm in the Multipurpose Room
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Spirit Fridays!
Friday, May 3: Star Wars Day (no weapons or lightsabers)
Friday, May 10: Wacky Hair Day
Friday, May 17: PJ and Stuffy Day
Friday, May 24: Color Day per grade
- TK/K: Red
- 1st: Orange
- 2nd: Yellow
- 3rd: Green
- 4th: Blue
- 5th: Purple
Show your school spirit!
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Pennies for Patients
It’s time for our annual Pennies for Patients penny drive to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Each classroom will have a donation box. Please bring in pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, half-dollars, dollar coins, and bills of all sizes… Last year, we donated over $900! Let’s get to $1,000 this year!! We’ll run the donation drive through April and May.
A few Pennies for Patients facts:
Thornhill is one of hundreds of schools across the nation participating in this donation program.
Money raised will go towards cancer research, especially for children with leukemia and blood cancer.
Approximately 17,692 children of all ages in the SF Bay Area are affected by different forms of blood cancer, including leukemia.
We can help! Every cent counts! Only 7 cents a day can help a patient with his or her doctor visits.
Yours truly,
Thornhill Student Council
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PFC Open Board Positions
Want to get involved in a bigger way at Thornhill? We have several PFC (Parent Faculty Club) board and executive board positions open, waiting for new people and fresh ideas. Get involved and make a difference at Thornhill!
Here is a full list of board positions and openings for next year. If you see OPEN next to something you are interested in, please reach out directly to the person who held the position this year to learn more about it! Find full job descriptions for the executive board and board on our website. Don’t be shy, jump right in!
Currently, we know we will have the following positions open:
President co-chair with Rex Crum (current president)
Fundraising, Vice President
Personnel, Vice President
Member-at-Large (3rd-5th)
5th Grade Liaison
Auction
Grants and Solicitations
Hospitality
Konstella
TK/Kindergarten co-chair with Catrina Vrankovich
Walkathon
Thank You!
-Parent Faculty Club (PFC)
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Fall 2019 Aftercare Registration
Adventure Time (AT) is now preparing for Fall 2019 registration. Applications will be mailed to all currently enrolled Adventure Time students and incoming kindergartners on Thursday, May 9. Applications will be accepted beginning at 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 15. We will be unable to accept applications before this date. Rather than mailing, please bring your
completed application with the $85 application fee to the Adventure Time portable. Due to
licensing regulations, space is limited. Registration is based on first come, first served. If you
are not currently enrolled in Adventure Time and would like to receive an application, please call 510-658-7412 x 100.
Montclair Recreation Center still has 6 spots for grades TK-2nd! Please note they only pick up at the “big kid” time of 3pm (1:25pm on minimum days), so TK-K would need to find care during the gap (AT is an option). Start in the Oakland Parks & Rec registration system PerfectMind, navigate to “Program Registration” and then to “Before & After School Childcare” in the Youth section. On the left under Location, pick “Montclair Recreation Center.” The cost is a flat fee of $320 per month per child for care every day until 6pm. (They also have great and inexpensive summer camps!)
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Book Donations
We are once again collecting book donations! These books will be donated to Prescott Elementary on May 4. Did you know that Prescott is turning 150 this year? They are the oldest, continually operating public elementary school in Oakland. To help celebrate this milestone, support our Oakland community, and spread the joy of reading, please donate your gently used elementary-appropriate books. Look for collection boxes in the lobby - last day to donate is tomorrow (Thursday). Interested in helping with the book drive or getting involved with the Prescott Elementary 150th Anniversary celebration on May 4? Contact Becky Urbano at vpsupport@thornhillschool.org.
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Mother’s Day Weekend Chili Cook-Off Fundraiser -- POSTPONED
Dear Fellow Thunderbirds,
The Dads Clubs of both Thornhill and Montclair have decided to postpone the Chili Cook-Off until next year, most likely in the fall. Please stay tuned, and thank you for your support!
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Library Book Donations Thank You!
Many thanks to the families of Anna Doeppner and Fiona Kordowsky for their generous book donations to the library! (And to another mystery family for the awesome library binding copy of Calvin & Hobbes.) Thornhill kids are so thrilled when new titles come in for them to explore. If you are interested in supporting the library, please check out our wishlist here. It is always being updated with the most recent requests, award winners, and titles related to their classroom curriculum!
-Marie Fox, Librarian
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Traffic Safety Reminders
Hi Thunderbird families,
Morning drop-off has been a little chaotic the last few weeks. Please everyone, remember these few rules!
1) No U-turns in front of school. Ever!
2) Please be respectful of our Thornhill neighbors and do not park in the driveway of the apartments across the street. Also, no U-turns in their driveway.
3) Pull all the way forward in the drop-off zone. It's amazing how quickly traffic backs up on Thornhill when just one car blocks the drop-zone entrance.
4) Please don't park or drop off in the red/blue zones near the front gate, and especially don't pull up onto the sidewalk to park! It's dangerous for pedestrians in front of school, and blocks cars that actually need to park in the handicapped zone. Either use the drop-off lane or park in the St. John's parking lot.
Thanks for keeping our school and neighborhood safe for everyone!
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Calendar
The website always has the latest calendar information, and here's what's coming up!
- Friday, May 3: Science Collaboration (minimum day, no enrichment)
Wednesday, May 8: Spring Performance (TK-2nd, 9am, multi-purpose room) **date change**
Friday, May 10: Last Day of Spring PFC Enrichment Classes (see schedule above for final performances)
Monday, May 13: PFC Meeting (6-7pm)
- Wednesday, May 15: Science Fair / Open House (6-7pm)
- Thursday, May 16: Volunteer Breakfast (8am) **date change**
Thursday, May 16: Spring Performance (3rd-5th, 9am, multi-purpose room) **date change**
Monday, May 27: Memorial Day Holiday (no school)
Tuesday - Thursday, May 28-30: Last Week of School (minimum days)
Thursday, May 30: Last Day of School!!!
Be sure also to download the OUSD District calendar here and subscribe to our Google calendar here.
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About the Thornhill Newsletter
The Thornhill Parent-Faculty Club (PFC) eNews team publishes this weekly newsletter each Tuesday in the school year to communicate school, PFC and OUSD news, events and information.
Email submissions to our Newsletter Chair, Evie Nagy, at newsletter@thornhillschool.org by 3 p.m. Thursday for approval—fine to include text in the body of the email with links and no formatting, and attach 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 and items not related to Thornhill are not accepted.
THANK YOU to everyone who submits articles and to PFC Board Members, Teachers, VP of Communications Erin Proudfoot, PFC President Rex Crum, and Principal Steve Daubenspeck. Member of Oakland Unified School District (OUSD).
Email: webmaster@thornhillschool.org
Website: thornhillschool.org
Location: 5880 Thornhill Drive, Oakland, CA, USA
Phone: 510-339-6800