Red Ribbon Week is October 25-29. This is the largest and longest-running annual campaign dedicated to drug prevention. Beyond spreading awareness on the dangers of drug and alcohol use, at an Elementary School level, Red Ribbon Week also presents an excellent opportunity to teach students about the benefits of building lifelong healthy habits, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

On October 27th, The Alamo School PTA is proud to sponsor the Teen Esteem Assemblies at Alamo School in honor of Red Ribbon Week. Teen Esteem is a local non-profit who has been equipping youth to make courageous, well-informed choices guided by respect for self and others for over 25 years.

Changing the World One Heart at a Time will be presented to K – 3 students. This light-hearted yet extremely impactful presentation introduces key concepts about how students can make a difference on their campus, understanding empathy, and community building. The core message to students is that everyone deserves to be treated with respect, everyone is unique and has value.

Choices of an Everyday Hero will be presented to 4th and 5th grade. This light-hearted yet extremely impactful presentation addresses the importance of making healthy choices based on respect for self and others. This includes an age-appropriate message regarding smoking/vaping. Also included is a strong, positive message about the importance and impact of being kind to others as well as choosing and being a good friend. The core message to students is that everyone deserves to be treated with respect, everyone is unique and has value. This engaging, interactive, multi-media assembly prepares students for many of the challenges they may encounter in middle school, if not sooner. Parents are welcome to observe, please make arrangements with the school if you are interested.

A letter will be emailed to parents on Tuesday with more details about the assembly. We encourage you to use this letter as an opportunity to ask your child about the presentation and continue the dialogue on very important and relevant issues your child has or will face. You can read more about the programs being presented to your children HERE

As a reminder, October is National Bullying Prevention Month. More than one out of every five students will be bullied this year. This could be happening to your child or someone they love and care about. In honor of this and Red Ribbon Week, please take this opportunity to teach your kids to support others who have been hurt or harmed; to treat others with kindness; to be more accepting of people's differences and to help include those who are left out. Anti-bullying starts at home. You can find a great deal of resources on this topic HERE.

Thursday, October 28th is Alamo PTA is sponsoring a Parents & Caregivers Mix and Mingle. Please join us at Xenia in Alamo from 7-8:30pm for an opportunity to meet other parents in a light, lively atmosphere. We will be dining on the side patio where there are heaters and it is covered. The PTA will purchase pizzas, beverages at your own expense. We look forward to meeting up with everyone soon! RSVP Here

Run Club Returns!!

Calling all runners- Run Club is back!!! Research shows that exercise before learning increases knowledge retention, improves mood and behavior and sharpens focus. All grades are welcome! Meet us starting at 7:25 am at the bottom black-top to get your heart pumping before school starts. You can walk, jog, or run until the bell rings. Kudos to Lisa Taylor, parent volunteer for bringing this fun program back to Alamo School!

Homework Club

Is your child having a hard time with homework? Please join the Alamo School PTA’s Homework Club for grades 1st-5th. We want to provide students with a calm environment to complete their homework and access extra support, books, and computers. Our amazing paraeducator Mrs. Linda Henderson will supervise and assist students. She has an abundance of knowledge of our curriculum and experience in teaching as a classroom paraeducator.

Homework Club meets Monday-Wednesday in the library, after school:

• Monday 2:30-3:30

• Tuesday 2:30-3:30

• Wednesday 12:50-1:50

You can turn in payment and fill out a Homework Club form in the office. Please email lhenderson@srvusd.net if you have any questions.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

We continue to need volunteers for lunch recess. This is a great opportunity to support your kids at school!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0D45A8AB28A6F94-lunch.

Volunteers must be cleared only through Level 1 at Be A Mentor. Please check the menu for each day. Picky eaters or those with restricted diets may want to pack a lunch option for their child for the first few weeks while the District works out its kinks. Visit https://www.srvusd.net/childnutrition for more information about the school lunch program and thank you in advance for volunteering!

Volunteer Requirement Update:

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued a new public health order (found here: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/Order-of-the-State-Public-Health-Officer-Vaccine-Verification-for-Workers-in-Schools.aspx) Schools must be in full compliance of this policy by October 15, 2021. As with all state and county public health mandates, the SRVUSD and Alamo Elementary School will fully comply with this health order. You can submit a copy of your vaccination status to beamentor.org/login. You will be asked to fill out a form and then upload your proof of vaccination using the Upload Document. Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our school safe!

SAVE THE DATES!

Our next Principal Chat is Wednesday, November 3rd from 6:30-7:30 via Zoom. Please join us as we review the 4th and 5th graders Positive Well-Being Survey results; report on SIPSA goals (School Plan for Student Achievement) and get the latest Covid updates. Register in advance for this meeting HERE

Our next Family Reading Night is Tuesday, November 16. Zoom details as we get closer. This month's theme is Gratitude.

Alamo School's HOLIDAY SHOP is coming on December 9th from 4 - 6:30 pm at Alamo Elementary in the MPR!!!

This student favorite is put on by the PTA so that our kids can have their own wonderful experience shopping for their friends and family for the Holidays. We transform the MPR into a festive Gift Shop where there are NO adults allowed (with the exception of a few helper elves). Kids love this event because they get to purchase gifts for their loved ones…so mark your calendars and bring your kids, wives and husbands, grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends, etc…Most gifts are under $10. There will be shopping for everyone!

Most importantly, we need gift donations, help gathering items, decorating, cleaning up, and gift wrapping help the night of the event. Please donate whatever you can in order to make our holiday shop a success. Gift Donations we seek are jewelry, sports items, barbecue stuff, scrunchies, beauty products, you name it! If you can get your company to make any donations whether it’s products or money so that we can purchase items, we need it! Please drop off all donations in the Principal’s office.

We need help with set up, take down, register duties, and wrapping. Please view the sign up genius and volunteer here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090C4EADAD2CA5FE3-holiday

We appreciate all your help!! Thank you!

In addition to the Holiday Shop, we will have a separate area for kids to set up a table as a vendor and showcase their homemade products. They can set their price point and all proceeds go directly to them. All we ask is that they donate one item to the holiday shop. Vendor tables will be limited, so please don't hesitate to reach out as soon as possible to reserve your spot. The vendor tables are for kids 18 and under. If you would like to participate and secure your vendor table or have any questions, please contact Tara Gilad at taradavina@yahoo.com

Science Night scheduled for November 17th is being postponed until Spring.

Kudos

Kudos to all parent volunteers, room parents and all who support their kids during school hours, especially our lunch volunteers. Special kudos toTara Gilad for planning Holiday Shop and Anji Kobayashi for heading up Thankful Lunch, a PTA sponsored event for the staff at Alamo School and to Nicole Delatorre for securing $500 in corporate funds to help pay for the lunch. The Alamo School community rocks!!!

Be up to date and in the know!!! Follow us on Facebook @Parents of Alamo Elementary School and on Instagram @alamo.school THANK YOU Doris Tam for keeping us in the social media mix!

Michelle Petersen and Nicole Rocca, PTA Presidents

Auction News: Our annual live auction fundraiser is going to look different this year! We are thrilled to announce that our live auction will be taking place at the Blackhawk Sports Complex and will include a bocce tournament, cocktail hour and dinner! Mark your calendar for Saturday, May 21st, and come ready to mingle, bid on live auction items, compete for raffle prizes and browse the silent auction items. Interested in helping to plan this fun event? Please contact alamo.edfund@srvef.org. This is our biggest planned fundraiser of the year after our Annual Giving Campaign. We previously had scheduled February 26th at Round Hill, however we had to step away from that venue. We feel this new format will be a fun, exciting change, and we are looking forward to it!

At our March 2020 Live Auction Gala we raised $25,000 for a library upgrade and despite all that has happened since then, we have not forgotten! We will soon begin the removal of old and outdated books, research new seating and furniture options and hope for a brand-new look for our library in the Spring for our students to enjoy.

Restaurant giveback: Our next restaurant giveback will be November 1-3 with Hazy BBQ in Danville. Take a break from cooking! 10% of all food and alcohol sales (dine in /takeout/delivery) will be donated back to the Alamo Ed Fund with promo code AE21. See here for details.

Sloat Garden Center giveback: Are you planting your winter garden or picking out a new houseplant? Mention Alamo School at any Sloat Garden Center from October 22-31 and we will receive 10% back to use for our school garden areas. Please see this flyer for additional giveback weeks in 2021 and 2022!

5 Little Monkeys toy store giveback: Get a head start on your holiday shopping and support a local business! Shop November 1-14 and Five Little Monkeys will donate 15% of the pre-tax total back to the Ed Fund. Use code ALAMOHOLIDAY21 for in-store or online purchases. We must have a minimum of 3 shoppers or $200 in sales to qualify. They have 6 Bay Area stores, so share the code with any local family members or friends! See here for details.

Square 1 art is coming!: Look for your personalized art catalog coming home soon! Orders will be due November 12th. Check out the Square 1 website for all available items to shop just in time for the holidays. Items will be delivered in early December. More information and reminders to come!

• Follow us on Instagram! @alamoedfund

• School Loop Website for all Ed Fund news and events.

Lauren Cymerys
Ed Fund President