Ohlone Family Connection
January 27, 2021
Hello Ohlone Families!
I hope you are all well. Today, I find myself feeling particularly grateful for our Ohlone staff, students, and parent community. In the face of uncertainty, unrest, and necessary change, it is of great comfort and honor to call Ohlone home.
We have rallied. We have cared for one another. We have listened to each other. We have shared our hopes and worries. We have laughed, and cried, sometimes at the same time :). We have put social-emotional at the forefront, just as we do for the young hearts we care for each day.
This is a special week. Inclusive Schools Week is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our love for each other and the gifts we all bring to our community. Our PTA has done a remarkable job organizing activities for the week. I joined students in the Zoom chat with Susan Glassman on Monday. What an amazing human! Susan lovingly answered all student questions about her life as a visually impaired person. Her dog Omni was adorable, and we were able to learn more about his role in her life. A big shout out goes to Jay Gluckman who brought Susan to Ohlone and has taken the lead in organizing this meaningful week for all students.
Do not miss out on the after school enrichment project today on Inclusive Playground Design. It begins at 2:15pm. It looks fantastic. More information is below. We also have our takeout fundraiser today at State of Mind - an Ohlone family's restaurant!
Enjoy this chilly, rainy weather. I like my brrr weather with a nice cup of tea or hot cocoa, hold the marshmallows. Take care :).
Dawn
Ohlone Principal
Important Dates Ahead
1/25-1/29 - Inclusive Schools Week
1/27 - State Of Mind Public House & Pizzeria Takeout Fundraiser
1/29 - Inclusive Schools Week Parent Social Social Hour - 5-6pm
2/5 - PTA General Meeting - 2:45-3:45pm
2/9 - PTA Executive Board Meeting - 3:30-4:45pm
2/11 - Online Lunar New Year Celebration (TBD)
2/11 - Parent Leadership Team Meeting - 12:30-1:15pm
2/11 - Prospective Parent Information Night - 6:30-7:30pm
Ohlone Incoming Siblings
For more detailed information, please refer to the email sent January 7, with the subject line: "Ohlone: Incoming Kindergarten siblings for 2021-22" Questions? Contact: henders@pausd.org
Inclusive Schools Week
Inclusive Playground Design Project - Afterschool Enrichment Activity
Wednesday, January 27th 2:15-3:15pm - Free
For this activity, your task is to come up with a magically inclusive playground design. Playgrounds can be really fun for everyone when they are also designed to be thoughtful of the need of people with alternate abilities. Zoom into the meeting with some paper, pencils, a ruler and pens or crayons to color with so you can learn about inclusive playground design and draw up your idea of an amazing and inclusive playground. Sponsored by the Ohlone PTA. Free - More info: jaygluckman@gmail.com
Friday, January 29th 5:00-6:00pm
Fix yourself a warm coffee or tea, hop on Zoom and please join us for a discussion about inclusion at Ohlone. The Palo Alto CAC supports families of students with special education needs by providing forums for respectful interaction and communication between parents, the community, and the school district. We form a network of volunteers in each school, to help promote inclusion and foster community. Our organization is volunteer run. Please join us at this social to share your thoughts about school inclusion during this challenging time. More info: jaygluckman@gmail.com
PAUSD’s 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge
For 21 days during Black History Month, Palo Alto students, parents, staff and the community at large are encouraged to do one action each day beginning on February 1. The #PAEquityChallenge will provide online daily activities (brief readings, videos, etc.) that can be done in 15 minutes or less. Each daily topic will provide an opportunity to deepen our connections and further our understanding of power, privilege, oppression, and equity AND BELONGING. Please sign up and encourage others to do so as well! https://tinyurl.com/PAEquityChallenge
Sign up at https://tinyurl.com/paequitychallenge for the 21-day self-guided learning journey. Registration launched on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (January 18), and the challenge officially begins on Monday, February 1. Topics include racial identity, intersectionality, race and health, legal system inequity, allyship, and more. Participants will engage with articles, videos and podcasts related to that day’s particular topic. (As an example, here is A Letter to Martin Luther King by Jedd Bloom, teacher at Greene Middle School.) Participants will choose one resource to explore, and will be invited to journal or chat about what they learned on the PAUSD discussion board.
Please see Lana Conaway's special invitation below for more detailed information!
Free Parent and Caregiver Workshops
If you’d like to learn more about ways to support your child’s literacy education at home, or learn more about what or how they are learning in school, or how to best engage in home literacy projects, consider attending part or all of TC's virtual workshop days for parents. These days are typically 3 hours long, composed of a series of 15-minute small-group presentations. Parents and caregivers can choose the workshops that match their needs and are free to come for one workshop or many. These sessions are not recorded; the days are live.
Next Workshop: Thursday, January 28, 1-3 PM Eastern Time
REGISTER HERE! You can find additional resources on the fabulous TC website.
STEM Fair 2021! February 27
The Ohlone PTA is excited to announce Ohlone Elementary's 2021 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) Fair. It's going to be a great community event! Click HERE for all of the information you will need. I cannot wait!
Important Dates Ahead:
2/6, 3pm - Student Info Meeting
2/6, 5pm - Parent Info Meeting
2/13 - Registration & Project Proposal Deadline
Volunteers Needed - This is going to be a big, amazing, online event and will take a lot of Ohlone community volunteer support. - To sign up to volunteer Click Here
Parenting Workshops
Literacy Parent and Caregiver Workshop (Teachers College) - January 28, 10:00am-12:00pm
Positive Parenting: Young Children Adapting to COVID (CASSY & PiE) - January 28, 7:00-8:00pmZoom Link Meeting ID: 984 3395 8329 / Passcode: CASSY
Navigating the World of Gender in Our Children’s Lives - January 29, 1:00-2:00pm (cost)
Optimizing Family and Emotional Health in the Time of COVID-19 - January 27, 7:00pm
ESPAÑOL - Estrés y El Bienestar de nuestra Salud Mental - Miércoles, 3 de febrero de 2021, 7pm
Building a Strong Vocabulary
Dawn
Email: dyoshinaga@pausd.org
Website: www.ohlone.pausd.org
Location: 950 Amarillo Avenue, Palo Alto, CA, USA
Phone: 650-856-1726