Cheetah Chat
Leo R. Croce Elementary
October 7, 2020
Dear Croce Families
It is so nice to visit classrooms and see your child/ren dressed and ready for instruction just as they would if we were meeting in person. Our teachers have spent a considerable amount of time teaching routines and procedures and, if you haven't already, you will soon notice how independent your child has become. I encourage you to allow your child to find their own materials, make mistakes (we learn from them), and answer questions without support from you. These skills will help your child become a successful student.
Parent-Teacher Conferences are being held from October 5-16. Hopefully, by now, you have made an appointment with your child's teacher. Rather than our traditional Goal-Setting Conferences, these conversations will give you an opportunity to address any struggles or successes your child is having with assignments or concepts during distance learning.
A big thank you to those of you who have already cast your vote for School Site Council representatives. You will have until 4:00pm on Thursday, October 8 to vote!
Communication is key to a strong partnership between home and school. There are multiple ways for us to reach out to you. Schoology, email, and Blackboard messages are the most popular ways to make contact, but all three rely on an updated email address. If you are not receiving communication from us, please check your spam folders and/or contact the school office. It is possible that your email is not correct in the PowerSchool system.
Most importantly, if we learned nothing else from 2020, it's that plans can change within the hour. In the event of an emergency, messages from the District and Croce will be sent through Blackboard. Call the office if your contact information needs to be updated.
Public Service Announcement
School Pictures
School pictures with Lifetouch have been scheduled for October 12th & 13th. You will have the opportunity to purchase pictures just like in past years. Order now on mylifetouch.com using your Picture Day ID: EVT2FP3Z9. Lifetouch will be going paperless this year, so all your child needs is their smile and a readiness to say their first and last name clearly to the photographer who will pull up digital record on their laptop. For the younger students, you can certainly write it on a piece of paper (the photographer will glance, but not handle/take the paper) if that is helpful.
We have developed a schedule to help manage the number of families on campus for pictures over the two afternoons.
October 12
12:00-1:00pm (last name starts with A or B)
1:00-2:00pm (last name starts with C, D or E)
2:00-3:00pm (last name starts with F, G, H or I)
3:00-4:00pm (last names starts with J, K or L)
October 13
12:00-1:00pm (last name starts with M, N or O)
1:00-2:00pm (last name starts with P, Q or R)
2:00-3:00pm (last name starts with S)
3:00-4:00pm (last name starts with T, U, V, W, X, Y, or Z)
Please pull into circle driveway on Scenic Avenue outside of MPR. Stay to the right to allow cars who finish early to be able to leave. Parents stay in your car and a volunteer will meet your child and walk them to the photographer. Children will be escorted back to your car.
Reflections is Back!
National PTA’s Reflections program has helped students explore their own thoughts, feelings and ideas, develop artistic literacy, increase confidence and find a love for learning that will help them become more successful in school and in life.
Each year, over 300,000 students in Pre-K through Grade 12 create original works of art in Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography, and Visual Arts in response to a student-selected theme.
New for 2020! All submissions will be done virtually! Once you are done creating your art then please enter your submission with this link: https://forms.gle/n6v54axiZod51kwP9
“I Matter Because” is this years theme for the National PTA Reflections program. Have your artist create original art in any (or all!) of the categories with the “I Matter Because” theme in mind. Artists reflect on the theme to create their original art and describe that connection in their artist statement.
One student in each category and age division moves on from Leo Croce Elementary PTA to the Peralta PTA regional division. All students get honored and recognized at Leo Croce for their amazing work. It’s an amazing way to recognize your students artistic abilities!
National PTA’s Reflections program has helped students explore their own thoughts, feelings and ideas, develop artistic literacy, increase confidence and find a love for learning that will help them become more successful in school and in life.
Each year, over 300,000 students in Pre-K through Grade 12 create original works of art in Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography, and Visual Arts in response to a student-selected theme.
Submissions are due October 15th.
Questions can be sent to: leocrocepta@gmail.com
Open for Business
This How-To Video will walk you through the steps to place a book on hold. Your child can also use the form to place a hold on a book.
For even more information about the library and for recorded read alouds join the Croce Library Course on Schoology.
Melo's Dine Out Fundraiser
Thursday, Oct 15, 2020, 11:00 AM
Melo's Pizza & Pasta Livermore, First Street, Livermore, CA, USA
Bedtime Story with Principal Angelo
Please join Mrs. Angelo on Sunday evenings for a Bedtime Story. The link to the story will be sent via email and text through Blackboard on Sundays.
Membership Drive
By joining the PTA, you are not obligated to “do” anything. Volunteering for any events the PTA may host is completely separate from your choosing to be a member of the PTA. The $10.75 paid membership helps the teachers’ pay for programs such as Raz-Kids and Epic, and other learning/educational subscriptions. Use the link to join PTA through TOTEM, an electronic membership system developed specifically for California PTAs.
https://jointotem.com/ca/livermore/leo-croce-elementary-pta
In addition, these funds help us host “free” community engagement events. In the past those have been ice cream socials, trunk or treat/Halloween carnival and holiday caroling.
With your paid PTA membership, you can get discounts at “Lifetouch”, “Code Wizards HQ” and “Legoland”. In the past there have been partnerships with San Jose Sharks, Aquarium of the Pacific and Swank Movie Licensing USA.
See Details here: https://capta.org/join/member-perks/
Please contact Raelene, the VP of Membership, if you have questions.
rparent79@comcast.net
Amazon Smile
Want a quick and easy way to support our Cheetahs? Do your shopping through www.smile.amazon.com and designate Leo Croce Elementary PTA as your beneficiary.
Amazon Smile customers can now support Leo Croce Elementary PTA in the Amazon shopping app on iOS and Android mobile phones!
Simply follow these instructions to turn on AmazonSmile and start generating donations.
1. Open the Amazon Shopping app on your device
2. Go into the main menu of the Amazon Shopping app and tap into 'Settings'
3. Tap 'AmazonSmile' and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process
If you do not have the latest version of the Amazon Shopping app, update your app first.
Please share with your friends and family -- ANYONE can donate through Amazon Smile.
Box Tops
BoxTops for Education has gone digital! Please download the new Box Tops for Education App, available in both the Apple or Google Play Stores. It's super easy! Once you download the app, choose Croce as your beneficiary and scan your receipts. Please be sure to scan all your receipts to check for Boxtops within two weeks of purchase!
Staying Informed
Website: Croce Elementary School website
Facebook Page: Croce_Cheetahs
Instagram: @principal.angelo
Croce PTA Facebook: Leo Croce PTA
Croce PTA Instagram: LeoCrocePTA
LVJUSD: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
App: Download the LVJUSD app from the App Store or Google Play