Alas, another year draws to a close. With only 17 days left, the last day of school will be a minimum day on May 25. In this final newsletter, allow me to wrap up some loose ends and get us thinking about summer and next school year.

Year-Round School

One exciting conversation this year was the notion of a year-round calendar. We polled our school community and received solid confirmation that McNear should stay on a traditional calendar. With over 200 of our families responding, more than 75% of those votes were in favor of keeping our traditional calendar. Our thoroughness in discussing this issue guarantees that we have a clear idea of what our families and teachers want for our school. Thank you to all who engaged in this dialog.

Placements

Looking ahead to the next few months, we have already begun thinking about next year. I know the most pressing question on the minds of every family is student placement. The excitement is understandable. We begin placing students this month, but things are never completely set until the 10th day of school. We will continue to finalize student placements through August and will post lists the day before school starts.

Next Year’s Staff

Please join me in wishing Joanne Smaciarz, Mary McBroom, Valerie Joyner, and Cheryl DeWitt the very best in retirement. After long and illustrious careers, they will be enjoying life on their own terms. Additionally, we don’t know class sizes or number of classes due to an uncertain budget. We won’t know until the fall if Ms. Dowdy or Ms. Kelly will be back next year. Please express your gratitude to them for the amazing work they have with our students.

As with most years, we have seen challenges and triumphs. McNear worked to communicate more clearly, to build up community more intentionally, and to improve our academic programs. Thank you for your continued support of our school community. The journey is always better with the right people. Enjoy your summer

Onward,

Jason

Marvelous Mathematician Club

Summer means swimming, sports, camping, and math facts. At least it does in my house. If your child wants to be a card-carrying member of the Marvelous Mathematicians Club (MMC), there is nothing to it. The MMC is a summer math program to promote practicing math facts and problems. Practicing math facts through the summer will give students a huge advantage in the fall. The goal is for students to practice three or four times each week for 10 minutes at a shot. This practice can happen with flashcards, on websites, or even in the car as you are driving to the store. All those who participate will be invited to my mathematician’s fiesta in the fall. Your child won’t want to miss out on this fall picnic where we eat and play games at McNear Park. Recording forms will be in next Wednesday’s folder, in the office, and on the school website.

McNear Life Science Garden – Spring 2012

The garden curriculum has gotten off to a great start. This spring 300 students will have the opportunity to get their hands dirty working in the garden! Students rotate through science, stewardship and cooking. The first week, students made a salad with lemon mint dressing. The dressing has been so popular, kids want to make it at home. Find the recipe below. Over the next two weeks, students will be making herbed popcorn and a green smoothie!

Visit the garden over the summer and check on how it is growing. We will post some of the scale maps the 5th graders have been drawing to help you identify the various plants.

1st and 2nd graders have been planting vegetable seeds to create starts for the garden, and marigolds to keep insects away. Check out the “Three Sisters” planted by the 3rd and 4th graders. This type of companion planting was practiced by many Native American tribes. Corn provides the structures for beans, and the large squash leaves provide shade to keep moisture in the soil. Mrs. Durkin’s 3rd grade class is planning a pizza bed with tomatoes and herbs. The fall harvest will provide bountiful cooking opportunities for our students.

Lemon Mint Salad Dressing

1/4 cup mint leaves

2 Tbls. lemon juice

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp. brown sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

Splash of balsamic vinegar to taste

(The students cut up the mint with scissors and whisked the ingredients together. A food processor would be another option.)

Thank You Earth Day!

Thanks to all the families who came out to enjoy a wonderful day on Earth Day – the weather couldn’t have been more perfect! It was a fun-filled day of earth conscious activities, yummy salad samples (see the salad dressing recipe above!) and a really neat recycle art project that is almost complete. Thanks to Dave Bruillette and Rachel Gage for the great music, Dragonfly Jewelry and all the volunteers that made this event happen. The McNear Life Science Garden is a really important learning tool for the children. If anyone is interested in joining the garden group to help keep it going, please contact Julia Luna: thelunafamily@att.net. See you in the garden!

McNear Spring Music Concert

The McNear fifth and sixth grade Band and Chorus students are looking forward to performing musical selections for the Spring Music Concert. Family, friends, and the school community are invited to share in this special musical experience which will take place on Monday, May 7, 2012 in the Multi at 7:00 PM. We’re looking forward to seeing you there!

eScrip Update!

A HUGE thank you to all of our families, teachers, and staff that have participated in eScrip, Petaluma Market Card, Target RED Card, Lucky SHARES Card, Jamba Juice PTA Appreciation, and Raley’s Quality of Life card programs. Together we have earned thousands of dollars to support McNear Elementary this school year. The donations continue through the summer months, so do not forget to swipe those cards at check-out. AND please remember to launch your favorite shopping websites at www.escrip.com to earn valuable dollars for our school with no cost to you.

After three years of promoting these programs, I am looking for a new parent to coordinate eScrip. It is a rewarding and simple way to help our school. Orientation included! Please contact our PTA volunteer coordinator or co-presidents if you are interested.

Thank you!

Jennifer Mattox.

From the Nurse

5th Grade Parents: This summer is a good time to make sure that your student is up to date with the whooping cough booster. Any whooping cough booster after the age of 7 will comply with the new state requirement for students entering 7th grade. Please turn in the verification of this booster in the fall so that you will not be subject to multiple phone calls by the school nurse in the spring of 2013.

6th Grade Parents: Please turn in your student’s verification of the whooping cough booster before the end of the school year. It can be turned in to the Junior High or McNear. There will not be a grace period in August; students will not receive their class schedule or be allowed to start school in August without this verification.

Darien Chandler FNP

School Nurse

April Falcon Feathers

Here are the Falcon Feather recipients for the month of April. Great job, McNear students!

Samantha Andrews, Salim Arikat, Peter Canale, David Cook, William Cook, Jake DeCarli, Lola Ferrini, Andrew Gage, Devin Gottschall, Curtis Goughnour, Jacob Graf, Maya Greenberg, Sadie Greenberg, Carson Guite, Anja Hultquist, Ian Hyland, Quinn Hyland, Kaylee Ielmorini, Alyssa Leight, Zach Leno, André Louviere, Josh Lyman, Elliot Musser, Sophia Marziano, Jacqueline Mattox, Owen McCaffrey, Mauricio Mejia Pagola, Nicholas Podobnik, Oliver Sharp, Jonathan Smithwick, Lucca Stringer, Luke Weitzenberg, Jagger Williams

Special Education Parent Support

McNear Elementary School will be offering the following meeting times for McNear parents whose children are currently receiving special education services from RSP, Special Day Class, Speech and Language, Behavioral Aides, or Full Inclusion. Time will be given to supportive conversation and shared experience.

All meetings will be from 5-6 pm in Room 1.

For more information contact Janice Eurgubian at 778-4752

Remaining 2012 Meetings:

May 10

Upcoming Dates

May 3, 6:00-7:30pm – Open House
May 7, 7:00pm – Spring Music Concert
May 9, 2:30-3:30pm – TB Test, Redwood Room, District Office
May 11, 8:45am/7:00pm – Talent Show
May 11, 2:30-3:30pm – TB Test Reading, Redwood Room, District Office
May 13 – Mother’s Day
May 14, 11:00am-2:30pm – Westside Relays – PHS
May 14, 7:00-9:00pm – Final PTA Meeting
May 15-18 – 6th Grade Outdoor Ed
May 21, 3:15-5:00pm – Final School Site Council Meeting
May 24, 1:00pm – 6th Grade Promotion
May 25, 12:00pm – LAST DAY OF SCHOOL – 12 Noon Dismissal – NO LUNCH

With two months left of school, we get ready to finish the year with our state testing. The California Standards Tests take place from April 16 through April 27. Testing is for students in 2nd through 6th grade, and most testing will start first thing in the morning.

There are four ways that you can help your child do well on these tests:

1. Make sure your student is at school on time.
2. Get your child to bed early so they are well rested.
3. Provide healthy food for breakfast and lunch.
4. Schedule appointments during another time.

Thank you so much for working with us to help your children do their very best work. As the end of this year approaches, we also begin to think about where our children will be placed next year. Although the process at McNear is well defined and outlined on our website, many families still have questions. Our staff works on placement before school ends in May and again before we return in August. We try to balance a complex collection of important factors to set up classes that are balanced and supportive of the best learning for all students. Although we understand many things about our students and their learning needs, you know things as their parents that we don’t. We are piloting a new placement input form to gather your thoughts on class placement for the next year. While many parents may not have input on this subject, those parents that would like to provide input can download the form from the student placement page on our website. Please read the directions carefully and submit the form to the office between April 2 and 30, 2012. We look forward to your input.

Onward,

Jason

REMINDER

There IS school on Friday, April 6 and Monday, April 9. Please note that these days are NOT holidays.

March Falcon Feathers

Here are the Falcon Feather recipients for the month of March. Great job, McNear students!

Ethan Asch, Sehej Bajwa, Daniel Forsman, Boss Furger, Cameron Ghaznavi, Quinn Herndon, Paul Leoni, Portia Lipsie, André Louviere, Josh Lyman, Mauricio Mejia Pagola, AJ Shaheen, Claudia Stile, Ford Stolp, Aaron Van Tighem, Molly Williams, Taylor Winterhalder

4. Earth Day Festival, April 22nd – Recycled Items and Volunteers Needed

Please join us to celebrate our Earth at McNear on April 22nd from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., sponsored by McNear Life Sciences Garden. Earth conscious craft activities, planting station, educational tables, scavenger hunt, a very exciting recycled art project and much more all await your participation! We will also be enjoying live music by a McNear alumni parent, Dave Brouillette. Wonderful lunch options and a visit from Molly Moo Ice Cream truck will be available for purchase. This is going to be a great event not to be missed!

We are looking for volunteers to help with the activities throughout the day. 1/2 hour? 2 hours? Whatever you can offer would be great. We also need recycled items for the exciting art projects: cardboard products, plastic containers and pull tabs from cartons. If you would like to volunteer or have any questions, please contact Julia Luna (thelunafamily@att.net) or 707-774-6372.

Volunteers needed for the McNear Life Science Garden Hands On Learning

Parent volunteers are still needed to run Garden Curriculum which begins April 16 and runs for four weeks. The first week is an introduction by the garden teacher. During the week of April 23, each class is divided into three groups. Each group does one activity (science, stewardship or cooking) per week. By the end of the four week session each child will have done all three activities.

The garden teacher will be teaching the science portion. Parent volunteers will be helping with cooking and stewardship. The cooking volunteer will be given a recipe and a set of instructions to work with 7 to 10 children. The project may involve picking produce from the garden, washing and preparing or cooking according to the recipe. All materials and ingredients are provided, including a plug-in wok and extension cord, if needed. The cooking station is the table in front of the garden shed.

The stewardship volunteer will work with the children caring for the garden may involve weeding, planting starts or seeds, looking for beneficial (and harmful) insects, feeding the worms and more. The lesson plan and instructions will be provided.

You may volunteer for your child’s class each week for 3 weeks, or for a single session of 1.5 to 2.5 hours. Please arrive 15 minutes before the session begins to get oriented. Sign-up sheets will be in your child’s classroom. If you have any questions, contact Carlin Finke at cmfinke@yahoo.com or your teacher.

Community Corner: Noodles, Doodles, and More!

Clear your calendar for the upcoming Pasta Dinner and Game Night. On Thursday, April 19th, join your McNear community for a delicious pasta dinner, then enjoy a good game of Pictionary, or one of the many other games that will be going on around campus. This whole family event is another opportunity to expand your circle of McNear friends. Take a night off from cooking, bring the family down, and join the fun!

Doll Making Returns to McNear for an Ella Bisbee Art Studio Fundraiser

Remember when your child was in 2nd grade at McNear and created a doll in the image of a Famous Black American? Many of you may still have those cherished dolls and know how much it means to your child. Well, now your child will have another opportunity to create a doll of his/her liking. Please join us on Sunday, April 22, for a day of art and expression through doll-making, with Dr. Geri Olson.

This event is offered as an effort to raise funds for the Ella Bisbee Art Studio at the Sonoma County Children’s Museum and honor the memory of our former McNear student Ella Bisbee, who died tragically in 2010. Activities will include doll-making, the Children’s Museum of Sonoma County’s Museum-on-the-Go, raffles, a bake sale, and of course, McNear’s Earth Day Festival. Two sessions will be offered, 10-11:30 and 12-1:30.

To purchase tickets ($15.00/child) for the doll-making project and additional details www . ellabisbee . org or https://www . memberplanet . com//ellabisbee/LovingEllaTickets.

Purchase your tickets early as space is limited!

McNear Spring Music Concert

The McNear fifth and sixth grade Band and Chorus students are looking forward to performing musical selections for the Spring Music Concert. Family, friends, and the school community are invited to share in this special musical experience which will take place on Monday, May 7, 2012 in the Multi at 7:00 PM. We’re looking forward to seeing you there!

Fifth Annual WESTSIDE BAND FESTIVAL!

Wednesday, April 18, 2012 – PHS Gym 7:00 PM

The music teachers have been busily planning this year’s Band Festival with the Petaluma High School and Junior High School music teachers. Information letters have been sent home already inviting all band students to attend this exciting musical event. It will be a fun evening of band music, with all grade levels (4th-12th) participating in the Grande Finale. If you haven’t already done so, please return the bottom portion of the letter sent home with students indicating that you and your child will be able to attend. We look forward to seeing you there!

Parcel Tax Citizens’ Oversight Committee

There is a Parent/Guardian vacancy on the Petaluma City (Elementary) School District Parcel Tax Citizens’ Oversight Committee. If you are interested in serving on the Committee, please pick up a form in the office. The application must be completed and sent to the District Office (Midge Hoffman) no later than Friday, April 27, 2012.

Parking Concerns

Please do not park where the cones are at the front of the school – this is for drop-off ONLY. Please do not park in the bus drop-off area at the front of the school at any time – buses come at different times of the day and need to park in that area. Lastly, PLEASE be considerate and do not block driveways if you park on Brookside Way; this has been happening quite a bit and we have received a number of phone calls from residents of Brookside Way. Thank you for your attention to these details, and for making sure our children are safe getting to and from school.

Need a Summer Tutor?

Glynis Kincaid (daughter of Mrs. Kincaid and former McNear student), now an AP senior at PHS, is available to tutor this summer – Spelling, Science, Social Studies, Language Arts, Reading improvement, Writing skills, Mathematic skills, Oral language skills; 1st – 11th grade students. Flyer available in the office. Contact Glynis at 364-8212 (cell – best way to reach her) or 765-7308.

Special Education Parent Support

McNear Elementary School will be offering the following meeting times for McNear parents whose children are currently receiving special education services from RSP, Special Day Class, Speech and Language, Behavioral Aides, or Full Inclusion. Time will be given to supportive conversation and shared experience.

All meetings will be from 5-6 pm in Room 1.

For more information contact Janice Eurgubian at 778-4752

2012 Meetings

April 12
May 10

Upcoming Dates

• April 5 – Spring Photos
• April 6, Lunch – Talent Show Information
• April 7, 8:30-1:00 – Garden Work Day
• April 12, 5:00-6:00pm – Special Ed Parent Support Meeting, Room 1
• April 11, 2:30-3:30pm – TB Test, Redwood Room, District Office
• Apr. 13, 2:30-3:30pm – TB Test Reading, Redwood Room, District Office
• April 14 – McNear Annual Auction/Dinner Fundraiser
• April 16-27 – STAR Testing
• April 22, 10:00-1:30, Ella Bisbee Doll Making Fundraiser
• April 23-29 – TV Turn-Off Week
• April 23-27 – Book Fair
• April 26, 5:30-7:30 – Book Fair Dessert Night
• April 27 – Talent Show Auditions
• April 30-5/2 – 4th Grade Gold Country Trip
• May 11, 8:45am/7:00pm – Talent Show

As expected, the year has flown by in a blink. With only ten weeks left in school, we make our final academic push as we prepare for state testing and the next grade.

As we move into the last trimester, we are wrapping up the Walk to Read program. This program in our 4th through 6th grades was a huge success. We saw amazing growth in every group, and one group made 9 months of reading growth in only 3 months. We are impressed with the results of this program and will be sure to get it going again in the future.

Since spring is here, it must be time for our morning traffic reminder. If you are dropping off, please use the cone drop off on Sunnyslope Avenue or G Street. If you are going to Sunnyslope, please approach from I Street. To keep our kids safe, we don’t want cars making U turns or cutting the cones. We have also seen cars stopping in front of the crosswalks to drop students off. This is extremely unsafe, and we will ask the police to continue helping us monitor this situation.

The back parking lot is for staff and volunteer parking but not for dropping students off. The best way to keep kids safe on G Street is to minimize traffic in and out of this lot. I wanted to thank all the parents that have helped monitor the crosswalk in the afternoon. It has made a huge difference in student safety and teacher peace of mind. We have 431 kids coming to school every day, and we all need to do our part to make that trip safe.

Lastly, we must acknowledge the titanic work Mrs. Bussey undertook in setting up the Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast. We had over 300 people attend. It was a great community builder, and I know we all hope for more activities like it.

Thanks Mrs. Bussey!

Enjoy the spring and your families,

Jason

February Falcon Feathers

Here are the Falcon Feather recipients for the month of February. Great job, McNear students!

Samantha Andrews, Salim Arikat, Ethan Asch, Justine Barnes, Rennie Boyd, Paris Buchanan, Kaori Citti, Violet Deardorff, Patrice Destine, Robbie Dooley, Cody Evans, Boss Furger, Cameron Ghaznavi, Aiden Griffin, Georgia Lebihan, Josh Lyman, Mauricio Mejia, Meghan Mills, Fiona Mulligan, Kane Parsons, Angela Phillips, Daisy Reynolds, Gabe Robin, Jacob Rollstin, Alex Sanchez, JoJo Schnitzer, Mia Schroeder, Ruby Shippey-Rabena, Claudia Stile, Angel Torres, Jacob Tuchband, Emma Weiand, Emunah Wiggins, Kathryn Wood

McNear Giving Tree

Just a reminder that the McNear Giving Tree program is still running and the board is out in the breezeway on a daily basis (thanks to Mr. Norstad’s students, who are doing a fantastic job of taking it out/bringing it in each day!) for your perusal and (hopeful!) assistance. This program is a wonderful place to share special talents YOU have to give to McNear, or to find requests of time or materials needed by McNear staff. It’s a win-win program for all of us!

Save The Date: Year Round School Q & A

When: Tuesday, March 13, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Where: McNear Multi-Purpose Room
What: Year-Round School Question and Answer Meeting

In response to parent interest, the McNear School Site Council has organized a follow-up meeting to answer questions regarding year-round school. The meeting will host a balanced panel which will respond to written parent questions. To ensure that your questions are thoroughly answered, please submit them to Jason Fross at franksjanitorial@sbcglobal.net no later than Thursday, March 8th. Questions may be submitted in writing at the meeting, however, we cannot guarantee that all of them will be answered. Childcare will be provided – please email Jason Fross if you need childcare. Shortly following the meeting, parents will be polled to evaluate their interest level in changing to a year round schedule.

Celebrate Earth Day with the McNear Life Science Garden

Sunday, April 22, 2012 – 10:00a.m. – 2:00p.m

Celebrate the Earth and Celebrate the Garden. Join us for some fun, earth conscious craft tables, games and contests, worm station, planting station, music by McNear parents and an exciting group recycle art project. Please save your cleaned, recycled products to contribute to the group art project. No glass, please. While you are here, check out the Doll Project in the classrooms nearby.

Calling all musicians and volunteers! We are looking for volunteers to help out for an hour or for the day. We would also like to invite all musicians to be a part of our Earth Day jam session. We hope you can make it to our Earth Day Fest! For more information or to sign up to be a musician or volunteer, please contact Julia Luna, thelunafamily@att.net or 707-774-6372.

McNear Life Science Garden Information

Garden Curriculum starts April. To volunteer, please contact your child’s teacher or Carlin Finke at cmfinke@yahoo.com.

Next Garden Workday scheduled for April 7. We are getting the garden ready for the Garden Curriculum. Join us from 8:300-11:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, April 7. Coffee and treats will be provided. Contact Julia Luna at thelunafamily@att.net or Carlin Finke at cmfinke@yahoo.com with questions.

The Doll Project

Come support the Ella Bisbee Fund and encourage your child to explore their creativity with The Doll Project. Join us on April 22 from 10:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at McNear Elementary School. To purchase tickets and learn more about the Ella Bisbee Fund, visit www . ellabisbee . org. Cost is $15 per child.

The SRJC Dental Clinic Event

The Santa Rosa Junior College is having a dental clinic event for the community on Sunday, March 11th. There will be cleanings, education, check-ups, and referrals to other clinics for more serious cases. The appointments will be from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. This is for children 4-16 years of age. The cost is $10 per family, NOT per child.

When: Sunday, March 11th, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Where: Santa Rosa Junior College campus, in the Health Sciences RACE BUILDING.
Cost: $10 per family.

To make an appointment, call 527-4949. Please leave a message and your call will be returned.

Please let the community know to take advantage of this resource. When people call they can only lave a message; voicemails are checked twice a day. People who leave messages will be called back to book their appointment and they will be given more information as to the location if they are not familiar with it already. To make an appointment or for more information, call 527.4949.

Evento: Clinica Dental

El colegio de Santa Rosa y el Club Santa Rosa Rotary presentan el evento: Clinica Dental. Habrá Limpiezas, educación dental, y evaluaciones dentales para niños y niñas entre los 4 y 16 años de edad.

CUANDO: Domingo 11 de Marzo, De las 10:00am a 1:00pm
DONDE: Santa Rosa Junior College, Edificio “Race” – Primer Piso, Estacionamiento gratuito atrás del edificio “Race.”
COSTO: Solamente $10 por familia

Llame al 707-527-4949 para hacer una cita hoy o para más información.

Special Education Parent Support

McNear Elementary School will be offering the following meeting times for McNear parents whose children are currently receiving special education services from RSP, Special Day Class, Speech and Language, Behavioral Aides, or Full Inclusion. Time will be given to supportive conversation and shared experience.

All meetings will be from 5-6 pm in Room 1.

2012 Meetings
March 8
April 12
May 10

For more information contact Janice Eurgubian at 778-4752

Upcoming Dates

• TODAY – Mar. 7, 2:30-3:30pm – TB Test, Redwood Room, District Office
• Mar. 8, 6:00-6:00pm – Special Ed Parent Support Meeting, Room 1
• Mar. 9, 2:30-3:30pm – TB Test Reading, Redwood Room, District Office
• Mar. 9, 6:30-8:30pm – McNear Movie Night
• Mar. 10, 11:00am-3:00pm – Manicure/Bake Sale
• Mar. 11 – Daylight Savings Time Begins – Spring Forward
• Mar. 19-23 – Spring Break – NO SCHOOL
• Mar. 26, 3:15-5:00pm – SSC Meeting
• Mar. 26, 6:30-8:00pm – ELAC Meeting
• Mar. 30, 8:45am – Spring Performing Arts Performance
• Mar. 31, 1:00/6:00pm – Spring Performing Arts Performance
• April 5 – Spring Photos – Information/Order Forms to come
• April 14 – McNear Annual Auction/Dinner Fundraiser

Although it is only February, we are already thinking about next year. With all the uncertainty our state budget brings, we begin our planning by looking at registration. An accurate count of incoming students helps us prepare. If you know you will not be attending McNear next year, please send in the enrollment questionnaire coming home in the Wednesday folder. A new Kindergarten law also affects enrollment this year. Students coming into Kindergarten in 2012-13 must be five years old by November 1, 2012. This is a one-month change that will continue to roll back one month each year until 2014. Please let your friends and neighbors who are looking for a school know what a great place McNear is. Nancy arranges tours on a regular basis if they would like to visit the school. We would love to have them join our community.

We recently held our school spelling bee. Mr. Norstad and Ms. Turko hosted 12 students in the challenge. We watched the field narrow until only two students remained. Tuptim Dhanasunthorn (4th grade) and Frances Goughnour (5th grade) emerged victorious and the supreme spellers of the day. They will continue their path to spelling greatness by competing in the Regional Spelling Bee coming Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at Corona Creek Elementary School. Congratulations girls!

As I led a tour of prospective parents this morning, smiling involved parents were all over the place. I was reflecting on the amount of parent involvement we have at McNear, and it made me glad to work here. I wanted to say thanks for all you do.

Onward,
Jason

2. January Falcon Feathers

Here are the Falcon Feather recipients for the month of January. Great job, McNear students!

Louie Alpert, Salim Arikat, Lexie Camacho, William Cook, Julian Cordeiro, Brent Dyson, Isabella Ilagan, Jesse Lopez, Henry Luce, Ayana Penders, Nicholas Podobnik, Aleydis Reyes Sainos, Aaron Routh, David Villalobos, Max Young, Courvois Zaragoza.

3. McNear Giving Tree

Just a reminder that the McNear Giving Tree program is still running and the board is out in the breezeway on a daily basis (thanks to Mr. Norstad’s students, who are doing a fantastic job of taking it out/brining it in each day!) for your perusal and (hopeful!) assistance. This program is a wonderful place to share special talents YOU have to give to McNear, or to find requests of time or materials by McNear staff. It’s a win-win program for all of us!

4. Poetry Writing Workshops – Assistance Needed

Do you have a passion for writing poetry and teaching kids? Or do you know someone in the community who does? The PTA would like to coordinate poetry writing workshops again this year, but we are in need of a poetry workshop leader/teacher. In the past, the workshops have been held during lunch recess. The time commitment is about an hour, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., which covers both upper and lower grade recesses. Usually there are two or three workshops held during the same week, although this can be modified depending on the poetry leader’s availability.

Last year, over 70 children attended the poetry workshops and wrote over 100 original poems. It would be wonderful to continue cultivating this passion and interest at McNear! So please contact Lyn Van Tighem at 765-9394 orl.van.tighem@gmail.com if you or someone you know might be interested in leading one or more poetry writing workshops this year. Thank you!

5. Save the Date: Year Round School Q & A

When: Tuesday, March 13, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Where: McNear Multi-Purpose Room

What: Year-Round School Question and Answer Meeting

In response to parent interest, the McNear School Site Council has organized a follow-up meeting to answer questions regarding year-round school. The meeting will host a balanced panel which will respond to written parent questions. Look for more information about the event in the next few weeks.

6. Skate & Donate

Skate & Donate at Cal Skate of Rohnert Park on Thursday, 2/2/12, from 6:00-8:00 pm. Check your Wednes- day packet for flyers for this fun event!

7. Shining Stars Project Update

The first annual Shining Stars Community Service Night was a success by all measures. Despite the rain, over 125 McNear students, parents, and staff generously gave of their time in support of community. All totaled we gathered 440 lbs. of food for the Redwood Empire Food Bank, almost doubling our goal and providing 346 meals for the hungry; we created 91 beautiful and thoughtful Valentines to hand out to Windsor Care Center residents; we made a bundle of blankets for traumatized children through Project Linus; and amassed roughly 24,000 grains of rice by testing our knowledge. Wow!

Apart from the many “good deeds” everyone participated in during the evening, a select group of students presented their “wishes to make the world a better place” by reading aloud their Star. These student wishes were among all the students’ Stars hung within the multipurpose. Some students and families also chose to share individual efforts they’ve made in community service and support. In full, the evening was a feel-good affair and truly representative of what makes our school community unique.

A special thanks to the parents and 6th grade students volunteering their time that evening to ensure its success. And to Clover-Stornetta for donating milk to complement the yummy desserts. Congratulate yourselves on your efforts to help others!

Any family that chose to “adopt” a blanket that evening is encouraged to return the blanket by Friday, February 3rd or contact Brandi Gordon (bgordonleno@gmail.com). Any additional blankets wishing to be donated to Project Linus are welcome by this date.

Of note, we will be hand delivering Valentines to Windsor Care residents on Monday, Feb. 13, at 3:15pm. For those who would like to help deliver cards please contact Anne Digges (digges@comcast.net).

8. Medications at School

Please be advised that ALL medications brought to school (prescription medication, over-the-counter medica- tions, aspiring, Tylenol, cough drops, eye drops, vitamins, etc.) MUST be kept in the office and MUST (NO EXCEPTIONS!) have a doctor’s approval (forms are available in the office, and new forms must be com- pleted every year). This form must be completed by the physician, detailing the medication (time to take, amount, etc.) and signed by both the physician and the parent. This is a STATE LAW and we must abide by it. We appreciate your understanding and adhering to these very important requirements.

9. McNear Absence Line

The McNear Absence Line number is 778-4859. This is an answering machine and is set to record messages 24 hours a day. Please call this number if your child is absent, or if you know your child will be late to school due to an appointment. Thank you.

10. Garden Meeting

The Garden Committee is holding a meeting, Saturday, Feb 4th from 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. at the McNear garden. They’ll be discussing upcoming plans for Earth Day and the spring curriculum program, which will require parent volunteers for all grade levels. Following the meeting, 4 to 6 people are needed to help weed, harvest, and organize the garden for an hour. Coffee and pastries will be provided.

11. McNear Elementary School Special Education Parent Support

McNear Elementary School will be offering the following meeting times for McNear parents whose children are currently receiving special education services from RSP, Special Day Class, Speech and Language, Behavioral Aides, or Full Inclusion. Time will be given to supportive conversation and shared experience.

All meetings will be from 5-6 pm in Room 1.

2012 Meetings

February 9
March 8
April 12
May 10

For more information contact Janice Eurgubian at 778-4752

12. Upcoming Dates

• Feb. 2, 6:00-8:00pm – Skate and Donate, Cal Skate of RP – Flyers in Wednesday Packet
• Feb. 4, 8:30-10:00am – Garden Meeting, McNear Garden
• Feb. 8, 2:30-3:30pm, TB Test, Redwood Room, District Office
• Feb. 9, 5:00-6:00pm – Special Ed Parent Support Meeting, Room 1
• Feb. 10, 2:30-3:30pm – TB Test Reading, Redwood Room, District Office
• Feb. 13, 3:15-5:00pm – SSC Meeting, Library
• Feb. 14 – Valentine’s Day!
• Feb. 17 – Holiday – NO SCHOOL
• Feb. 20 – Washington’s Holiday – NO SCHOOL
• Feb.24-End of 2nd Trimester
• Feb. 27-March 2 – Conferences – Early Release (M,T,Th,F) -1st- 3rd Grades – 1:30pm; 4th- 6th Grades – 1:40pm; Regular Wed. Release Time – 1st-3rd – 12:35pm; 4th-6th – 12:40pm
• Mar. 2, 7:30-8:20am – Green Eggs & Ham Breakfast

We are back in the saddle again. I hope your vacation was filled with family and fun. Although vacation was excellent, it was great to see the students at McNear this week. As we roll into the New Year, here are some things you should know about and ways you can get involved in 2012.

Spelling Bee

The McNear Spelling Bee is coming up this month on January 25, 2012 at 8:45 am in the Multi Use room. This annual competition between fourth, fifth, and sixth graders will determine the top spelling champs at McNear Elementary. Each class will hold a competition and send their top spellers to the school spelling bee. The top two school-wide contestants will advance to the Regional Spelling Bee later in the year. Keep an eye out for spelling words coming home and help your child practice.

Art Committee

Some of our fundraising efforts last year focused on bringing more art to our students. This has been a long-standing important component to education at McNear. If you are interested in participating on the Art Committee, please join us for our meeting on January 24, 2012 at 3:15 pm in the library. This committee will decide how to spend this money to effectively bring art education into the classroom.

Laptops

Some students at McNear do not have access to a computer at home. To help our students, we are starting a home computer program. We need help from a few parents that know how to reformat computers and set up operating system software. If you fit this description, please contact us. You will feel great when you make someone’s day.

We have solidly embarked on 2012. I am looking forward to another great year working with you in the McNear community.

Onward,
Jason

December Falcon Feathers

Here are the Falcon Feather recipients for the month of December. Great job, McNear students!

Louie Alpert, Ramsey Arikat, Gabriel Baca, Brooke Bruhn, Robby Cuneo, Jake DeCarli, Lola Ewing, Lola Ferini, Emma Fisher, Finn Flannery, Henry Forsman, Cameron Ghaznavi, Aiden Griffen, Javier Gutierrez, Miles Herndon, Anja Hultquist, Quinn Hyland, Henry Luce, Arianna Maier, Jeremy Martin, Jacqueline Mattox, Owen McCaffrey, Bruno McDarrah, Adan Mendiola, Melody Noble, Jake Eddie Pauline, Haley Rodas-Torres, A.J. Shaheen, Mackenzie Soper, Ford Stolp, Tanner Torrens, Maya Tuchband, Luke Weitzenberg, Maegin Wilder, Lauren Wolff

Come Help the New Year Glow with the Shining Stars Project

The Community Committee is gearing up for McNear’s first annual Shining Stars Community Outreach Project on January 19. This will be a night for students to share some of the steps they’ve taken toward their “shining star” dream, as well as an opportunity to help those in need. In “barn building” fashion we will rally to the causes of various assistance organizations and spend the evening strengthening our community in both Petaluma and abroad. Join us from 6:30-8:00 pm in the Multi for a dessert night and hands-on activities in support of the Redwood Empire Food Bank, Windsor Care Center, the Linus Project, and Freerice . com. There will be plenty of opportunities to help make this a meaningful and memorable event. Some of the easy ways you can help are:

• Hanging flyers around school prior to events
• Helping to set up and break down the Multi
• Helping to hang stars/decorations in the Multi
• Baking yummy goodies for dessert
• Helping to staff the V alentine-card-making station
• Helping to staff the blanket-tying station

We need help on many fronts! Contact Anne Digges (digges@comcast.net) if you can volunteer your time or support. Any way you can contribute will help to make a special evening for McNear.

TB Tests Needed

Just a reminder that if you are volunteering in a classroom you MUST have a current TB test on file with the District Office. TB tests are good for four years, and are offered free to parent volunteers once a month at the District Office. The TB test dates for the remainder of the school year are listed below. Testing is done on a Wednesday from 2:30-3:30p.m. and reading of the test is done that Friday, from 2:30-3:30. (If you do not return on Friday for the reading of the test, you will need to get tested again, at your own doctor and at your own expense.)

• January 18th & 20th, 2012
• February 8th & 10th, 2012
• March 7th & 9th, 2012
• April 11th & 13th, 2012
• May 9th & 11th, 2012

Webspiration Training

Reminder: There are still spaces available for the 1/30/12 training (5:00 p.m.) for 4th-6th grade parents.

Since it is a hands-on and interactive training, parents must RSVP to Nancy (nancyt@pet.k12.ca.us) to reserve a space in this class. Webspiration software will directly support the work your students are doing with book and research reports and easily applies to all writing forms that students must do.

eScrip Update

Sip to support your school! Get your Jamba School Appreciation Card keychain in the school office today! How it works: Just swipe your School appreciation Card at any Jamba store and 10% of proceeds will be donated to McNear Elementary School and 2% to National PTA. The more you’re sipping, the more they’re giving. Get your card today! It’s free and benefits our programs year-round.

A quick note about the Lucky Market SHARES cards that went home recently: If you already have a card in your wallet, they work just fine. Simply recycle any extras to the school office or Jennifer Mattox.
Thank you for supporting our school!

Mentor Me Petaluma

Help Mentor Me Petaluma celebrate national Mentoring Month in January! We have over 200 thriving mentorships in 16 Petaluma schools and also have 75 kids on our waiting list. Mentors and mentees spend time together each week working on school projects and study skills, playing sports, doing art projects, cooking together, hiking, reading, and much, much more. Mentoring is all about building long-term, consistent, supportive, trusting relationships.

You can help Mentor Me Petaluma provide more mentors to more kids: 1) Be a mentor and/or spread the word about our 75 waitlisted kids and help us recruit mentors. 2) Support us financially – we are not funded by the city, county, state or federal government, nor do we receive cash donations from school districts. We depend on the generosity of individuals, businesses, service clubs, PTAs, small foundations and our annual fundraising events.

To learn more about mentoring or to download an application, go to our website: www . MentorMePetaluma . org, call our office 778-4798 or attend a Q&A for prospective mentors. Viva Cocolat is hosting a Q&A on Thursday, January 12th from 7:00-8:00 p.m.; the address is 110 Petaluma Boulevard North in downtown Petaluma. Come if you can…or tell ten friends.

There are many ways to support our good work financially:

• Mail a check to 35 Maria Drive, #852, 94954
• Log onto the website and click the “donate” button
• Attend Band Night at the Burdell Building on January 14th, with a one-night-only reunion of the great dance band FunkSway
• Purchase “January Special” tickets for the Mad Hatter Ball, coming up on March 31st.

Each mentorship changes TWO lives simultaneously. Please join us!

McNear Giving Tree

Just a reminder that the McNear Giving Tree program is still running and the board is out in the breezeway on a daily basis (thanks to Mr. Norstad’s students, who are doing a fantastic job of taking it out/bringing it in each day!) for your perusal and (hopeful!) assistance. This program is a wonderful place to share special talents YOU have to give to McNear, or to find requests of time or materials by McNear staff. It’s a win-win program for all of us!

McNear Elementary School Special Education Parent Support

McNear Elementary School will be offering the following meeting times for McNear parents whose children are currently receiving special education services from RSP, Special Day Class, Speech and Language, Behavioral Aides, or Full Inclusion. Time will be given to supportive conversation and shared experience.

All meetings will be from 5-6 pm in Room 1.

2012 Meetings:

• January 12
• February 9
• March 8
• April 12
• May 10

For more information contact Janice Eurgubian at 778-4752

Upcoming Dates

• Jan. 12, 5:00-6:00pm – Special Ed Parent Support Meeting, Room 1
• Jan. 16 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday – NO SCHOOL
• Jan. 18, 2:30-3:30pm, TB Test, Redwood Room, District Office
• Jan. 19, 8:30am – Whole School Assembly
• Jan. 20, 2:30-3:30pm – TB Test Reading, Redwood Room, District Office
• Jan. 23, 8:00-3:30 – K Registration Begins
• Jan. 23, 3:15-5:00pm – SSC Meeting, Library
• Jan. 23, 7:00pm – PTA Meeting (postponed from 1/9/12)
• Jan. 24 , 3:15-4:15pm, Art Committee Meeting, Library
• Jan. 25, 8:45am – McNear Spelling Bee, Multi
• Jan. 30, 5:00-6:00 – Webspiration Training
• Jan. 30, 6:30-8:00pm – ELAC Meeting