Blossom Hill Vision Statement – (Abilities and skills we expect our students to acquire and take-out into the world) All students will have the necessary skills to become enthusiastic, life-long learners and productive, empathetic, respectful members of society.

Blossom Hill Mission Statement – (What we need to do as a school community to ensure this happens) The Blossom Hill School community takes pride in providing an enriched standards-based curriculum in a safe, nurturing environment. We strive to appreciate an awareness of students’ developmental needs to help them progress towards independence.

The Beehive!Issue 24!

Blossom Hill School’s Weekly Newsletter 16400 Blossom Hill Road Los Gatos, California 95032 ©2016 Blossom Hill School February 10, 2016 Page 1

IMPORTANT DATES February

2/11 - Mileage Club Begins (weather permitting)

2/11 - Parenting Continuum Parenting Workshop - Nonviolent Communication 6:00 pm, Los Gatos High School Library

2/11 - Safe Route to School and Vision Zero Information Night 7:00 - 8:30 pm, Multipurpose Room

2/15 - 2/19 - February Recess - NO SCHOOL

2/22 - LGUSD Board Meeting - Special 4:30 - 6:00 pm, District Office

2/22 - LGUSD Board Meeting - Regular 6:30 - 10:30 pm, District Office

2/24 - Home & School Club Member Meeting and Camp Campbell Presentation 8:30 am, Multipurpose Room

2/25 - School Site Council Meeting 2:45 - 3:45 pm, Room D22

2/25 - 2/26 - Science Fair Multipurpose Room

2/29 - 3/4 - Conference Week - Early Release Schedule

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK Dear Blossom Hill Families:

Part of our mission as parents and educators is to appreciate our children’s developmental needs and help them progress toward independence. As your child grows, they will be expected to do more for themselves. Below are a couple strategies to help foster independence.

Assume your child can. There’s a better chance that your youngster will be able to accomplish a task on their own if he/she sees that you expect them to carry it out. Elicit their help with household tasks. For example, tell them that you will rinse the plates while they load the dishwasher. Then, focus on rinsing, and leave them to figure out their own way of loading the dishes.

Ask your child, “What do you think?” Including your child in family decisions prepares them for independent decision-making. You might seek their opinion on what to make for dinner or how to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Allow your child to make choices and decisions. Provide your child with a sense that they have some control over their lives and allow opportunities to make age appropriate choices. At an early age, you can ask, “Would you like to wear your blue sweater or your red jacket?” Or for an older child, “Would you like to practice the piano before or after dinner?”

Encourage your child to solve problems. Avoid the temptation to offer a quick solution or to give unsolicited advice. Whenever possible, let them handle problems, including squabbles with siblings, without your help. When intervention is necessary, help them to brainstorm possible solutions, evaluate options, and then decide which one they want to try.

Let them start. If they ask you to assist them with a project, encourage them to get the supplies that are needed and to set-up the workspace independently. Then join in to help get the job done.

Please remember that fostering independence takes time. By mindfully integrating learning opportunities into daily living, you will make sure you are equipping your child with a strong foundation of self-confidence and independence.

In education together,

Lisa Reynolds, Principal

The Beehive is written exclusively to inform the Blossom Hill community of school information. Articles, information, calendars, etc. may not be duplicated or reprinted in any manner without the permission of the Home and School Club and of the BHS administration.

CHECK IT OUT One Check Form LGEF Donation Form Fun Fridays eScrip

BEEHIVE SUBMISSIONS Need an article, event or volunteer request published in The Beehive? Email your school related item on the Friday before the next week’s newsletter. Please submit articles or questions to our Beehive editor at beehive@blossomhill.org.

H&SC CALENDAR IS ONLINE! Did you know that our Home & School Club Calendar is online? Click here to see our Google Calendar, which you can also subscribe to: http://hsc.blossomhill.org/hsc-calendar.html

WEEKLY WISDOM Reminders February Break - School will not be in session February 15-18. We will resume our normal schedule on Monday, February 22.

Parent/Teacher Conference Week - We will be on an early release schedule, Monday though Friday the week of February 29 - March 4 for parent/teacher conferences. Early Release Schedule: Kindergarten: 8:10 - 11:30 am Grades 1-5: 8:10 - 12:10 pm

FAQ of the Week Q. My son had diarrhea last night but feels fine this morning. Can

he come to school today?  A. No. Per the student handbook, students must stay home for

24 hours if they exhibit any of the following symptoms: a fever of 99.4 or higher, vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, or stomach cramps. Students must be symptom-free for 24 hours without the aid of medication before retuning to school.

Important School Contact Information Office:  408-335-2100 Attendance:  408-335-2145 Fax:  408-358-6438 Office Hours:  7:30 am - 3:30 pm jsheehan@lgusd.k12.ca.us

What’s the Buzz?

Together we help our children blossom! 

Page 2

BLOSSOM HILL SCIENCE FAIR Helping Your Child To Think

Through Their Project

So your child has an idea for their science fair project. That’s great! But are they prepared to take the necessary steps to conduct an insightful experiment?   There are several online resources that can help them out. Science Buddies, a non-profit based in Carmel, California,

for example, offers a very detailed, step-by-step guide on how to proceed through experiments. Though it’s probably a little too

detailed for kids in the lower grades, parents can still go through the guide for themselves, and use it as a coaching tool as they discuss the project's

approach with their child. The guide is available here: http://bit.ly/sfpg1.   Another more entertaining online guide to putting together a science fair project comes from Kevin Temmer, a young animator in Sarasota, Florida. His 15-minute animation “Prepare for Science Fair” features the hapless procrastinator Jack and his more studious friend Jessica. They’re kidnapped by a bodiless narrator, who then runs through the several elements of successful science fair projects with them. It’s a little irreverent, but the content is sound. It was developed in conjunction with Amy Basham, a middle-school science teacher and doctoral student who just received her Ph.D. in science education. The online video is available here: http://bit.ly/prepareforsciencefair.   The two sites are just a couple out of more than a dozen listed on the “Resources” page of the Blossom Hill School Science Fair website (http://sciencefair.blossomhill.org/.)   Finally, once they’re done with their investigations, students can download templates from the science fair web site to use for their presentations. The templates are not mandatory. The committee created them simply to help students and parents s a v e t i m e . T h e y ’ r e a v a i l a b l e a t : h t t p : / /sciencefair.blossomhill.org/templates.html.   We look forward to seeing the results, and also to seeing everyone at the Science Fair Exhibition evening when families can come and see all the projects for themselves. Block out the date! It’s Friday, February 26 in the Multipurpose Room between 6:00 - 8:00 pm.

Home & School Club Member Meeting

And Science Camp Presentation

Wednesday, February 24 8:30 am, Multipurpose Room

Please join us for our regular meeting and a presentation by Cathy Haas and Stacey Otlin, both directors for Camp Campbell, the science camp that Blossom Hill 5th graders attend each year. They will discuss how to prepare your 5th grade student for an overnight science camp experience. Additionally, they will explain the program for students who only wish to attend during the day. 5th Grade teachers Wendy Ottinger and Brian Houg - both of whom have logged many trips to Camp Campbell - will also be in attendance to answer any parent questions.

Don’t miss this great opportunity to learn more about the science camp experience for your current or future 5th grade student.

We hope to see you there! Coffee will be provided.

MRS. MARTIN’S ART LESSONS P l e a s e v i s i t M r s . M a r t i n ’s A r t b l o g a t : h t t p : / /www.mrsmartinartclass.blogspot.com/ for updates on what is happening in your student’s art classroom, student artwork from across the district, and parent child activities that connect to each lesson!

LGUSD Elementary Art Program is funded by LGEF

What’s the Buzz?

Together we help our children blossom! 

Page 3

THE PARENTING CONTINUUM PRESENTS

A Nonviolent Communication Parenting Workshop

The Parenting Continuum of Los Gatos is hosting Jared Finkelstein for a Parenting Workshop on Nonviolent Communication on Thursday, February 11, 2016. Jared Finkelstein specializes in transforming conflict into communication - a skill, that is so valuable for bringing up children and youth. 

Thursday, February 11 6:00 pm - Los Gatos High School Library

The workshop is free and attendance is open to parents of children of all age groups.

For more information about Nonviolent Communication and Jared Finkelstein, check this link  http://baynvc.org/trainers/jared-finkelstein/.

For more information about the Parenting Continuum, click here  http://www.parentingcontinuum.org. We hope to see you there. For further questions, please contact Marina at marina@marinabarnes.net.

Let’s Show Our Teachers How Much We Care!

Conference Week is February 29 - March 4

Conference Week is almost here again, so let’s show our wonderful staff how much we appreciate all of their hard work! Every year during Conference Week, we stock the Staf f Lounge with delicious food to keep our teachers going throughout the day.

P l e a s e  c l i c k h e r e , w w w. S i g n U p G e n i u s . c o m / g o /30E094DAAA92EABF94-snack to sign up to bring snack foods, such as granola bars, fruit, small sandwiches, soup, salad, lasagna and cookies for our fantastic teachers. We will also need volunteers to help with set up and clean-up of the Staff Lounge.

If you have any questions, please contact Lisa Cross, Francine Shore or Dipti Cox at staffappreciation@blossomhill.org. 

Thanks so much! Dipti, Francine and Lisa

BIRTHDAY BUZZ This week, please join the Home and School Club in wishing a number of our wonderful staff a very warm Happy Birthday!

Dawn Barker – February 16 Lucia Arredondo – February 17 Cynthia Asquith – February 21

Wishing all of you joy and happiness on your birthday and all the coming year!

THANK YOU FOR AN OUTSTANDING SHOW!

What a spectacular musical! Time after time, PeterPanic delivered laughs, fun and whimsical music, along with a reminder that we all should follow our dreams. This stunning production would not have been possible without the help of countless volunteers – both young and young-at-heart. Thank you for all the hours you spent helping in so many ways. Huge and s p e c i a l t h a n k s g o e s t o p a r e n t p r o d u c e r s  We n d i Redo  and  Jennifer Saban  from Blossom Hi l l ,  Kim Simon  and  Elizabeth Adams  from Daves Avenue, and Blossom Hill’s multi-talented Director Brian Houg. Their time, creativity, and enthusiastic dedication made sure every detail of the show was ready for opening night. We appreciate each and every one of you!

Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Safe Routes to School

An Information Night:

Vision Zero and

Student and Traffic Safety in Los Gatos

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Contact Karen Briones at kbriones@lgusd.k12.ca.us

Agenda 7:00 pm

Welcome and Introductions Los Gatos Union School District

Superintendent: Dr. Diana Abbati Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Safe Routes to School Coalition

Director: Thomas Cook Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission

Chairperson: Jeff Loughridge Transportation and Parking Commission

Chairperson: Maria Ristow Presentation: An Introduction to Vision Zero Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition

Deputy Director: Colin Heyne Questions and Answer Session Facilitated by Los Gatos Union School District

Safe Routes to School Coordinator: Karen Briones

Blossom Hill Elementary School Multipurpose Room 16400 Blossom Hill Road

Los Gatos, CA

An Event Bringing Information to the Los Gatos Community in Collaboration with

• Los Gatos Union School District • Town of Los Gatos • Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory

Commission • Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police

Department • Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Safe Routes to

School • Transportation and Parking Commission

Vision Zero (www.visionzeroinitiative.com) is a multi-national road safety project that aims to achieve a highway system with no fatalities or serious injuries in road traffic to drivers, passengers, bicyclists or pedestrians. Come hear Colin Heyne of the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition talk about this project and stay to learn what is being done in Los Gatos and the surrounding communities.

Thursday, February 11, 2016 7:00 – 8:30pm

Together we help our children blossom! 

Page 4

BEE Informed