Thornhill Elementary PFC Newsletter
Volume 25, Issue 24, February 23, 2018
The Auction Is TOMORROW!
Have you gotten your tickets for the annual Thornhill Auction, yet? There is still time to get tickets, but you have to order your tickets in advance. There will be no ticket sales at the auction itself.
Let's get ready for tomorrow!
- Get your costume on!
- Make sure you have a ticket.
- Meet us at the venue...
Ascension Greek Orthodox Cathedral Event Center
Did you want to bid on something at our online auction? It is not too late to check out the catalog. The online auction is running until 8 p.m., Friday (tonight!).
We have more camps and classes than ever online! You can bid on a camp for this summer at Head Royce or the Adventure Day Camp. Both run over three weeks and are known for their excellence. And they can still be had for a good price.
Do you already know what to bid on? Make sure you looked at the catalog before with all the exciting items we collected for you. Check it out here: https://thornhill.schoolauction.net/auction2018/catalog
In our Live Auction we will have old favorites and new surprises.
--We will start with a delightful Cake and Champagne - get it for yourself or share it with a friend at your table.
--Then, you have the chance to make your child the principal of Thornhill for a day.
--Bonnie Forbes will take you and 3 friends where the magic happens - At Pixar Studios in Emeryville.
--You can enjoy a weekend of luxury in San Francisco or meet Sarah & Vinnie from ALICE97.3 radio.
--Enjoy a luxury week of vacation in Utah, or make a dream vacation around the world.
--Root for the Warriors with three of your friends in the mayor's box at the Oracle Arena.
--Have a wonderful dinner at Shakewell.
--Bid on one of four spots for Glaze and Graze. Katie and her husband Dan will open their home and entertain you as you try your best at the pottery wheel and be treated to homemade tapas.
…And if this is not already enough, how about a short trip to L.A. to visit the Late Late Show with James Corden?
All that is up for bid at this year's Thornhill Auction. All the info you need about the event is here. See you tomorrow night!!!
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Auction Volunteers Needed!
Decorating Flare, Typing Mastery, Bartending or Brawn!
Calling all parents for two hours of fun for a good cause! Bring your talents to the auction this Saturday to support Thornhill’s incredible staff and kids. You'll be glad you did it.
Please visit this sign up site to add yourself to the volunteers helping out on Saturday.
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Principal's Note...
Dear Thunderbird Families,
I am looking forward to seeing you all at the Thornhill Auction on Saturday. This is our key fundraising event of the year. It determines a lot about our students’ experiences in school next year. I am hoping as many of you can come as possible. Be There! Hero or villain, come as you are.
In light of the recent events at Parkland School in Florida, I thought I should inform you of a few things.
First of all, as educators, we are extremely saddened and disappointed that these violent events happen at any school or place. The frequency that these events are happening in the United States is almost impossible to process and weighs heavily on educators, parents and students alike.
Regardless, we all must go on. As principal, I can assure you that safety is my top priority and you should know our staff is prepared for emergencies and we have a plan in place. As an OUSD school, our safety plan requires us to be prepared for earthquakes, fires, lockdown and active shooters. I recently attended training sessions and am updating the staff about our most recent learning and expectations from OUSD. You should also know, I have met with the district on improving the campus’ safety. We have done a lot to improve safety at Thornhill in the last five years. Once again, on behalf of our staff, our heart goes out to the students of Parkland School and the families affected. In truth, we are all affected and America must do better for our youth.
Highlights of the last Two Weeks
When I asked a student’s aunt, Chipa, if she would be comfortable presenting to the 5th graders the history of her culture, Zimbabwe, she agreed wholeheartedly. A week later they presented the gift of an interactive presentation. I was so blown away by the first hand history of Zimbabwe and that our students had an opportunity to learn about Zimbabwe first hand. Thank you Chipa and Akira for this personal presentation that was so inspiring and powerful.
Here’s another:
Mrs. Steimle’s entire kindergarten class came to wish me a Happy Valentine’s Day last week. Our kids are so caring. Noting to herself that other students brought a few sweets, a kindergartner hugged me and said “my hug is my gift.” And yes the whole class gave me a group hug! You can bet that made my day!
A Black History Month Must-Read
Whether you are versed in American History or not, this is a powerful book. Ta Neshi Coats' Between The World and Me was a riveting work that I wish all Americans could read. Besides, if Toni Morrison said it’s required reading then it is!
https://www.amazon.com/Between-World-Me-Ta-Nehisi-Coates/dp/0451482212
Mark your calendars: The first day of the 2018-2019 school next year is AUGUST 13.
Best,
Mr. Daubenspeck
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Appreciation...
In the wake of last week’s upsetting news of events at Parkland High School in Florida, the PFC has been reflecting on how committed our school staff is to the success and care of our students: Our teachers, aides, office staff, Principal, cafeteria staff, custodial staff, art teacher, computer teacher, music teacher, noon-duty supervisors; enrichment staff, Adventure Time staff; everyone who shows up to make a difference in the lives of our children.
In the spirit of expressing our gratitude, the PFC will be putting up a blank poster in the school lobby--on the rolling bulletin board--on Feb 23. We invite you to take a few moments and come write a message of gratitude to the Thornhill staff. We will keep the poster up for a few weeks and then it will be presented to the staff as a gift from our parent community. Students are invited to write a message of gratitude or inspiration as well.
Regards,
Thornhill PFC
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Raise Funds For Thornhill with Good Eggs
This spring, Thornhill is running a fundraiser through Good Eggs, the online grocery market in the Bay Area that brings absurdly fresh groceries to your door. Some of the parents at our school already use Good Eggs and swear by it.
In March and April, any time our school community shops on Good Eggs, they donate 10 percent back to our school! All you need to do to enroll is:
Visit schools.goodeggs.com
Enter the code tbird
Shop and 10 percent goes back to the school! When you place your next Good Eggs order, you don’t need to enter the code again; do it once and you’re enrolled for all of March and April.
Enroll in the fundraiser by March 15 and you will be entered to win a week of free Good Eggs dinners!
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Doug's Drama Camp
It's that time of the season...Time to think about signing your kids up for summer camps and other activities.
And, once again, Thornhill drama teacher Doug Cole will be offering four two-week sessions of drama camp at Montclair School this summer. The sessions are for students entering grades K-8. Full day camps, with extended care, are available from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Details can be found at www.dougsdrama.com.
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Dates To Remember...
If you've gotten this far but still need a reminder of what's coming up on the Thornhill calendar, well...Here are some dates to keep in mind. Remember, you can always get information by visiting the calendar page of the school website.
Wednesday, Feb. 28: Thornhill Oratorical (9am)
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About The Thornhill 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 p.m. 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 and items not related to Thornhill are not accepted.
THANK YOU to everyone who submits articles and to PFC Board Members, Teachers, VPs of Communications Erin Proudfoot and Pamela Schwartz, 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, USA
Phone: (510) 339-6800