8/14/2019 Lamppost 10.1.09

1/15

2241 Russell St.Berkeley, CA 94705

www.leconteonline.org(510)644-6290

October 2, 2009

Cheryl Wilson Principal

Jill Wang PTA President

Important dates

TheLamppost

THANKS to your PARTICIPATION

we are all more EMPOWERED TO ACHIEVE!

That which we persist in doing becomes easier

not that the nature of the task has changed,

but our ability to do has increased. --Emerson

Our ability to provide a welcoming, safe, and academicallyproductive environment increases every year because of families likeyours. Every day you enrich the lives of our children by giving yourtime, ideas, skills, and applause, which all demonstrate that it reallydoes take a village to raise a child. Many of you attended the PTA andEnglish Language Advisory Committee meetings, you submitted yourballots for School Governance Council, you attended the CelebrateLeConte assembly last Friday and the Multicultural Potluck lastSaturday. It is your commitment that will help every child at ourschool have a successful school year, so thank you so much for

participating on committees and coming to our events.Our next major event is the Annual Halloween Festival on

Saturday, October 31 from 2:00PM to 5:00PM. Volunteers will beneeded to prepare for the success of the event and help run various

SAT., OCT. 3PTA Executive Board meeting (open tothe community), 8:30AM, Sconehenge

THU., OCT. 8Walk to School Day;Family Advisory Council - LeConteOrientation, 6:30-8:00PM, Library

FRI.,OCT. 9Halloween Festival Planning Meeting,8:15AM, Cafeteria

MON., OCT. 12NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTSStaff Professional Development Day

MON., OCT 12 - OCT. 16Mosaic Outdoor School - 5

thGrade, 5-

day field trip

THU., OCT. 15

8/14/2019 Lamppost 10.1.09

2/15

needed to prepare for the success of the event and help run variousTHU., OCT. 15

NOTICES: SCHOOL CLOSED Mon., October 12

(Staff Professional Development Day)

NO SCHOOL for STUDENTS, Fri., November 6

(Parent/Teacher Conferences all day)

LECONTE LEADERSHIP COMMITTEES

PTA UpdateAt the September meeting, news was shared about upcoming school events and committees and many ways for parents

and guardians to get involved as volunteers. Announcements (that arent explained elsewhere in the newsletter)include:

Gloria Park sells Berkeley Bowl scrip (which can be used like cash, but earns LeConte 4% of every dollarspent) in the cafeteria every Friday morning. Please sign up for eScrip if you havent already(www.escrip.com)!

We will launch the Eco-Metro Guide fundraiser in October. This East Bay coupon book sells for $20 andLeConte receives 50% of each one sold.

LeConte Community Kidz After School Learning Program has received funding to launch a literacy program,including free parent workshops. Pamela Harrison-Small, a former LeConte parent, will be leading a freeworkshop that will help parents support our children to get better grades, do more homework, and have amore positive attitude towards learning (more information coming soon).

We need volunteers to help one or more classrooms create art projects that can be sold at the spring auction,since these one-of-a-kind projects are extremely popular with parents.

The PTA budget was approved and a resolution was passed giving the PTA executive board and SchoolGovernance Council limited authority to work with the budget between meetings.

The next PTA will be meeting on Tuesday, October 20. A free dinner will be available at 5:45PM and the meeting

will be held from 6:00 to 7:30PM.

New LeConte T-ShirtsThank you to Noah Friedman for designing beautiful new LeConte t-shirts, revealed at the Multicultural Potluck last

8/14/2019 Lamppost 10.1.09

3/15

School Governance Council (SGC)As a result of the ballots sent home last week and the first SGC meeting held on Tuesday, September 29, the electedSGC officers are: Denise Montgomery and Chris Martin, Co-Chairs; Secretaries: Susanna Moore and Gopal Dayaneni;Planning & Oversight Committee Representative: Jenny Lipow; Survey Point Person: Jacqueline Bott; and Budget

Point Person: Jocelyn Bale-Glickman. Topics included the function of SGC, which is develop and monitor LeContesstudent achievement plan, propose expenditures, and evaluate results. Many good ideas that support our school start atthe SGC. Meetings will be held on the third Wednesday of every month, so the next meeting will be Wednesday,October 21, 6:30PM, in the Library.

District Leadership TrainingThe district is hosting a training on Tuesday, October 27th from 6:00PM to 8:30PM at Longfellow Middle School.This training is for families and teachers who serve on the SGC, ELAC, PTA and all other school wide committees.School Governance Council chairs are required to attend. The workshop sessions will include a basic, intermediate,and advanced discussion of data analysis and information about managing meetings. A light supper, childcare, andSpanish language sessions will be provided.

SCHOOL-WIDE NEWS

New Staff MembersThis year we added a new instructional assistant, Sara Levine. Sara was selected because of her desire to support theeducational and social/emotional needs of students who have unique learning differences. She is a welcome addition toour staff of instructional assistants, who work with our highest-need students.

We have also added a new noon supervisor, Deanna Hancock. Deanna loves working with children and helping themwork through conflicts. Some of our upper grade girls have already designated her as their onsite counselor andmentor. Deanna joins Irene Leja, a LeConte parent who has not only worked as a noon supervisor for the past twoyears, but consistently volunteers her time every day to support all students. Within the next few weeks, we will alsohave about six new staff membersfour tutors and two additional noon supervisorsthanks to the wisdom andsupport of our PTA and School Governance Council.

LeConte Family GuidebooksLeConte Family Guidebooks were distributed at Back to School Night in September. This is a wonderful documentthat can answer many of your questions about LeConte. If you havent yet received one, please pick one up from

8/14/2019 Lamppost 10.1.09

4/15

One More Month Campaign: please make an early gift to LeConteThe PTA is asking all LeConte families to join the PTA andmake a gift to LeConte equal to one month of preschooltuition, childcare, or summer camp. Your gift will help us meet the challenges of the terrible state budget cuts, whichreduced the amount of money we have for our basic school programs from classroom supplies to playground

supervision, tutors, field trips, and teacher professional development.

For families that cant make cash donations now, we hope you will join the PTA ($5 suggested donation per person).PTA membership forms and donation forms can be found near our school office. Please help us reach 100%participation in this campaign to jump start our school year and support school programs. Thank you for your PTAmembership and your generous gifts!

LeContes Discussion Listserv LaunchedLeContes new discussion listserv is now up and running! To join the group, please go tohttp://groups.google.com/group/leconte-discuss or visit our school website (www.leconteonline.org) and click the linkfor LeConte Discussion Group on the right side of the page. We have two school listservs this year. Here is adescription of them, so that you can choose the one that is right for you:

1. LeConteNews Listserv (via a Yahoo Group): This is our well-established School News Listserv, alsoknown as the LeConte Yahoo Group and the LeConte PTA listserv) which will keep you informed ofschool events and news, including links to the electronic version of our Lamppost (our school newsletter) andother information. The amount of email through this group is typically 1-5 messages per week. Moderator:

Sian Shumway (sianatcafe@gmail.com

).

2. LeConteDiscussion + News Listserv (via a Google Group): We are introducing a NEW school discussionlistserv for all LeConte community members who would like to share questions, recommendations, advice,etc. This discussion group will automatically receive the school news info, so you only need to sign up forone listserv - LeConte news OR discussionplus news. The amount of email for this group depends on thenumbers of emails sent by group members. Moderators: Anya de Montigny (anya333@gmail.com

) & PennyPeak (pennyalp@yahoo.com

).

Family Advisory Council LeConte Orientations: Thursday, Oct. 8 & Friday, Oct. 16Do you have some questions about LeConte? Are you wondering how to handle a particular situation? The FamilyAdvisory Council (FAC) invites you to attend a LeConte Orientation on Thursday, Oct. 8, 6:30-8:00PM (RSVPby Monday Oct 5 if you would like childcare provided during the meeting) or Friday Oct 16 8:15 9:30AM (coffee

http://www.leconteonline.org/http://www.leconteonline.org/

8/14/2019 Lamppost 10.1.09

5/15

Basic Lubicz in advance at (510) 601-5014 or basia_lu@yahoo.com. For more information about PeacefulPlaygrounds, please visit www.peacefulplaygrounds.com.

Assemblies/Rotary Club Giveaway

Please ask your child about the following events and feel free to attend if you can. On Wednesday, September 30, allthird grade students received a new hardbound dictionary. These dictionaries were provided by Berkeleys RotaryClub. Please ask your child about the dictionary and encourage her/him to use it frequently. On Tuesday, October 20,at 12:30PM, students in kindergarten to second grade will learn more about water conservation via The FroggyReport. You may have heard that water is the new oil, meaning we are running out of this precious resource.Respect for water and methods for keeping it clean will be the focus of this assembly. You may also want to attend theperformance by the Berkeley Symphony on Tuesday, November 10 at 10:30AM in our auditorium. And finally, youcan learn to milk a cow on Tuesday, November 24 at 9:45AM. All of these events are free of charge to our schooland thats why we booked them right away. Finally, kindergarten and first grade students will have visitors from thedental society, who will be introducing the students to proactive strategies that prevent cavities.

After-School Class - Save our Kinder Spanish! Reduced fee!We need more kids enrolled to keep our two fabulous Lango Spanish classes going! The class fee has been reduced to$275 for weekly classes through the end of January. If at least 8 students enroll in a class, fees for that class will bereduced to $220; if ten enroll, fees will be $207. The Kinder class is held Tuesdays, 1:25-2:10PM, 1st-3rd grade classis Tuesdays 2:15-3:00PM. Talk to your friends! To enroll, contact Jessica Fiedler, PTA VP of Programs, today atjfied@earthlink.net, 540-7818.

District-wide Staff DevelopmentOn Thursday and Friday, October 1 and 2, Principal Wilson, Ms. Venuto, Ms. Sisneros, Ms. Bernal, Ms. Cross, Ms.Blanchard, and our school psychologist, Ms. McKenna will be attending Positive Behavior Support workshops. Thepurpose of this training is to help teams of educators from various school sites learn how to begin implementation ofthis new program. Our ultimate goal at LeConte is to improve our ability to provide an environment whereby studentshave the verbal skills to solve problems and all staff members have the skills to support students with this process. Wewant to see actions behind the words of our school values: show respect, make good decisions, and solve your ownproblems.

On Monday, October 12, there is no school for students because teachers will be learning how to use a new systemfor completing the report cards; the PowerSchool software, which is a student information system. For moreinformation about PowerSchool go to http://www pearsonschoolsystems com/products/powerschool/ Later in the

8/14/2019 Lamppost 10.1.09

6/15

teacher by leaving a message with our school secretary or by email. All district email addresses use the followingformat:first name_last name@berkeley.k12.ca.us. If you have difficulty reaching your childs teacher, please contact PrincipalWilson, Cheryl_Wilson@berkeley.k12.ca.us.

Classroom NewslettersOur community indicated on the family survey that it is very important to have regular written communication from allteachers. To help teachers fulfill this request, because their time is very limited, Principal Wilson is making an effort togive teachers time to complete a brief newsletter each month. Therefore, please look for a classroom newsletter fromyour childs teacher every month. The goal is for families to know in advance about important classroom activities andto be informed about classroom needs, specific areas of study, and so on.

Steps to Improve Academic AchievementIn general, our students test scores show that while some students achieve at high levels year after year, many othersdo not. To address the achievement gap, the teachers and Principal Wilson will be closely monitoring andcommunicating with students about their academic progress. Our plans include finding out what students know, howthey learn best, and what we can do to motivate and engage them so that they show growth from year to year. Theseare also areas that you will be discussing with your childs teacher during the upcoming conferences. To support thegoal of improved achievement, Principal Wilson is planning to teach a specific group of students two Saturdays permonth. The focus will be English language arts, which is the area of highest need for improvement. Students will beselected based on their current academic performance and availability to attend school on Saturdays.

At least five teachers are also willing to tutor students after school. This will begin once funding has been confirmed.Currently, at least 27 students are enrolled in an afterschool literacy program that provides one-on-one tutoring, calledBUILD (Berkeley United In Literacy Development). Thanks to Charity DaMarto, our After School Coordinator, thisprogram is running smoothly.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION &EVENTS

Students of the MonthPlease see the attached list of our first group of Students of the Month. With information provided by the teachers,Principal Wilson prepared certificates and copies of photos for each student to take home. Please be sure to ask your

8/14/2019 Lamppost 10.1.09

7/15

Halloween Parade: Friday, Oct. 30, 12:45PMEvery year the students celebrate Halloween at school by marching around the playground or the block in costumes.This years parade will be Friday, October 30 at 12:45PM. PLEASE NOTE: students bring their costumes to school

and change during lunch recess. STUDENTS DO NOT WEAR THEIR COSTUMES TO SCHOOL! Adults areneeded in the primary classrooms to help students change in time for the parade. Kindergarten students usually paradearound the playground area due to their dismissal time and all other grades parade around the block. Families areencouraged to attend this festive event. Also, be sure to see our school secretary, Donna, who always has a hilarious,picture-worthy costume.

Free Flu Shots: Tuesday, October 6, 3:00-7:00PMThe City of Berkeley Public Health Division is offering FREE seasonal flu shots! Flu vaccine is recommended forages 6 months and older. The vaccinations will be offered at the Community Flu Clinic, Berkeley Adult School, 1710San Pablo Avenue, on Tuesday, October 6 from 3:00PM 7:00PM. Seniors and those needing special assistanceshould enter on Curtis Street. Vaccinations will be available in shot and nasal mist form.

H1N1 Flu Vaccine Offered to BUSD students: Week of November 16Berkeleys Public Health division will bring the H1N1 flu vaccine to all BUSD K-12 schools during the week of Nov.16, as school-aged children are top priority for receiving this vaccine. The first choice is for children to get theirvaccine from their usual health care providers. Consent forms must be completed in advance by parents and will bedistributed when available. Public Health will provide vaccine information and nurses to administer the vaccine; we

will be seeking parent volunteers to help guide students through the vaccination process. Most children will be able toreceive the nasal spray form of the vaccine (no needles!).

Student Conflict Managers Three Adult Volunteers Needed on Oct. 26 & Oct. 27Our training for student Conflict Managers is scheduled for Monday, October 26 from 9:00 to 11:00AM and Tuesday,October 27 from 9:00 to 11:00AM. We need at least three adult volunteers to assist with the training. Volunteers willhelp students to: understand the concepts (I messages, listening skills, etc.); create role plays; and stay focused. Allvolunteers who are available and would like to assist should contact Principal Wilson.

Walk & Roll to School and Work Day: Thursday, October 8Every year, our school celebrates Walk and Roll to School and Work Day, a city-wide event sponsored by SafeRoutes to School that reminds families, parents, teachers, staff, and children that walking and biking to school is goodfor personal health and the safety and health of neighborhoods and communities This year the Berkeley Unified

8/14/2019 Lamppost 10.1.09

8/15

that are part of the STAR Program. A few months later, students and their parents receive individual test resultsshowing how the student is meeting the states academic standards. Test results are used for student and schoolaccountability purposes and are reflected in LeContes scores for the states Academic Performance Index (API) andthe federal Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).

November LamppostTo submit information for the November Lamppost, please email Principal Wilson atCheryl_Wilson@berkeley.k12.ca.us or Penny Peak at pennyalp@yahoo.com. Deadline: October 30, 2009.

a s k a n n aadvice from a LeConte mom

Dear Anna,I'm so confused! When does school start and finish each day?

- ConfusedDear Confused,Honestly, I can never remember either! I actually try to keep a small sheet of paper with the school hours in my wallet,in my car and on my fridge. If I knew how to work my cell phone better I could enter the information in there too...Mornings are a little easier. School starts for everyone, everyday at 8:10. Principal Wilson and the teachers gatheron the playground and classes walk into the school together at 8:10. Most classes head to their rooms to begin the day,but some stay in the cafeteria first thing for breakfast. (Did you know that a healthy breakfast is offered to every childat LeConte everyday?). If you enter the school after 8:40 you must get a slip from Donna in the office before you go toyour classroom, and you will be marked tardy .

The end of the day is more confusing. Kindergarten has an earlier dismissal. Our dear Kinders get out everyday at1:25. Older grades are released at intervals; 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade are out at 2:15. 4th and 5th are out at 2:20.EXCEPT Wednesday! Wednesday is a shorter day so that the school staff can have meetings. Wednesday the 1st,

8/14/2019 Lamppost 10.1.09

9/15

MEET OUR WONDERFUL STAFFIn each issue of the Lamppost, we are pleased to introduce you to a few members of LeContes talented staff.

Natalia BernalKindergarten Teacher, Two-Way Immersion, Room 110

What was your favorite subject as a student?My favorite subject was French. I have always loved languages.

Who has been the most inspirational teacher to you?I had an advisor and professor in my Masters program who really made academic language and thought accessible to

me. I really appreciated how he broke down concepts and connected things culturally and historically so that I couldgrasp educational theories that I had been struggling with. I hope to be a bridge for my students in the same way.

What do you like most about being a teacher?I really love creating curriculum for my class. I get excited when I find new children's music that I can use orbeautiful literature that inspires me. When I can't find the right song, I make it up. When I'm inspired, the kids areinspired and the classroom becomes a place of excitement and community.

What is the most challenging part of being a teacher?The most challenging part is trying to satisfy the state demands (standards) while trying to really treat each child as aunique individual and respect his/her own learning process. I sometimes feel that I am putting too much pressure onkindergarteners, forcing them to read and write when some need more time to play and develop social and emotionalskills.

What is the most important lesson that one can be taught?In kindergarten, it's all about learning to communicate your feelings.

What do you like to do in your free time?I sing and play percussion in the La Pea Community Chorus. I like to travel. I go visit my family in Uruguay everytwo years. I love to pet my cat, Lila, and my rat, Lily. Its a great way to reduce stress.

8/14/2019 Lamppost 10.1.09

10/15

Loraine WoodardFourth Grade Teacher, English & Two-Way Immersion, Room 204

I am very glad to be teaching 4th graders at LeConte this year: English in themorning and Spanish immersion in the afternoon.

I lived in Cuernavaca, Mexico for many years, where I did freelance workwriting curriculum, interpreting and working at a Spanish-language school. I also gave workshops to English teachersat the local university. My husband is from this area and we decided to give our kids (who are 14 and 16) the best of

both worlds, so they have grown up in both Mexico and the U.S.

I taught 6th8th grade in San Franciscos Mission District for nine years, mainly ESL, Language Arts, BilingualSocial Studies and Reading Intervention. I am very committed to providing differentiated instruction so all studentsimprove academically and are challenged at their level.

I look forward to getting to know my students and their families and hope to establish a classroom environment thatinspires the children to do their best.

Farmer Clio KirkmanLeContes Americorps Member, assisting Farmer Ben in Farm & Garden

Farmer Clio really likes gardening with kids and is excited to be working withFarmer Ben at LeConte. Our children have already impressed her with their level offarm and garden knowledge and their adventurous spirit, especially their willingness to

taste new foods. Before she came to LeConte, Clio worked at City Slicker Farms in WestOakland and the Manzanita Elementary School garden in Oakland. She grew up in Washington, DC and received aBA in Comparative Literature at Smith College, where she also took horticulture classes. Clio grew up helping withher grandmothers garden and hearing stories about her great grandfathers efforts at organic gardening in the 1950s.

8/14/2019 Lamppost 10.1.09

11/15

LeCONTE CALENDAR

OCTOBER 1 NOVEMBER 6, 2009

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

27 28 29 30 OCT. 1 2 3

Positive Behavior

Support Training

Positive Behavior

Support Training

PTA Exec. Board

(open to LeContecommunity),8:30AM,

Sconehenge4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Free Flu ShotsBerkeley AdultSchool, 3:00-7:00PM

Walk to School Day

Family AdvisoryCouncil LeConteOrientation,6:30-8:00PM, Library

Picture Day

Halloween Festival

Planning Meeting,8:15AM, Cafeteria

Paint Maps on

LeContes Big

Playground

volunteers needed,10:00AM-2:00PM

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

SCHOOL

CLOSEDStaff Developmentfor Teachers

Fifth Grade Mosaic

Trip

Depart 9:00AM10/12 to 10/16

English Language

AdvisoryCommittee -

Celebration5:00PM, Library

Sally Foster

Fundraiser Ordersare DUE

Family AdvisoryCouncil LeConteOrient.,8:15-9:30AM, Library

Fifth graders

RETURN , 4:30-

4:45PM

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

PTA Meeting5:45 dinner6:00 7:30Meeting, Cafeteria

School

Governance

Council -Meeting,6 30PM

First Day of

Saturday School(participation byrequest only)9 30AM 12 00PM

8/14/2019 Lamppost 10.1.09

12/15

8/14/2019 Lamppost 10.1.09

13/15

8/14/2019 Lamppost 10.1.09

14/15

STANFORD UNIVERSITYEDUCATION PROGRAM FOR GIFTED YOUTH

VENTURA HALL, STANFORD CA 94305

September 25, 2009

Dear Principal/Head of School,I am pleased to announce an Open House for Gifted Students, organized by ScholarSearch Associates and co-hosted by the Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY) atStanford University on Sunday, November 15th The event is open to all students andtheir families who are interested in learning about educational opportunities for thegifted. The organizations and institutions that have committed to the Open House thusfar include: Center for Talent Development (CTD) at Northwestern University, ChoateRosemary Hall, Davidson Institute, Idyllwild Arts Academy, Institute for EducationalAdvancement, Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, Miss Halls School, Miss Porters School,Oregon Episcopal School, The College Preparatory School, Crystal Springs Uplands. Weanticipate this list to grow as the event approaches.We cordially invite your famil ies to join us at what we expect will be an informative andrewarding event. Enclosed please find a flyer that provides an overview of the OpenHouse, which we encourage you to share with your families. Feel free to make copies forposting and to download and forward the electronic version (http://sn.imlepgyflyer).Although the program will be offered free of charge to attending families, space islimited, so we do ask that families wishing to attend the Open House reserve places assoon as possible so that we may plan effectively. To receive updates and further OpenHouse details, families should register online at: www.scholarsearchassoc.com.I do hope that your families will take advantage of the Open House at Stanford, and Ilook forward to meeting them on Sunday, November 15th I also hope to welcome you tocampus as our guest at the Open House.

Yours,

8/14/2019 Lamppost 10.1.09

15/15

Scholar Search AssociatesOpen House for Gifted Student Families

Sunday, November 15, 2009 1:00-6:00 pmStanford University

Bringing together gifted and talented students and their families and providinginformation on educational opportunities open to them. Featuring panel and roundiable discussions, exhibit~s, activE ties, and presentations

about.sunimer programs, independent boarding and day school~s, online programs,scholarships and financial aid.

Admission to the Open House is free of charge.For more information, contact Patsy Kumekawa at (860) 664-3586 or Ssa@SchOlarsearchasSOc.cOm

or visitwww.scholarsearchassoc.comfor further details and updates.

co-hosted by the Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY) at Stanford University