The Pink PantherHenry J. Kaiser, Jr. Elementary School

25 South Hill Court Oakland, CA 94618 510.549.4900

The Pink Panther Newsletter

M E S S A G E F R O M P R I N C I P A L G U I K E M A

School & Community Newsletter

K A I S E R C A L E N D A R

Save the Dates!

October 2, 2018

*Teacher Development Day: All OUSD

Monday, 10.8.18 –Friday, 10.12.18

MINIMUM DAYS1:30PM Dismissal

Saturday, 10.13.18 WALK-A-THON

Monday, 10.29.18 Shoo The Flu (Flu Shots at Kaiser)

Wednesday, 10.31.18 Halloween Parade

Page 1 of 4

Thursday, 10.25.18 PTA Meeting

Dear Kaiser Families:

My favorite, and arguably most important, part of my job is being in classrooms and talking with teachers about what our children are learning. Over the past two weeks I have had in depth visits, with pre and post visit conversations, in most of our classrooms. I am really inspired by what I am seeing. In a Kindergarten class, student work, along with data the teacher has collected, shows tremendous gains in our first six weeks of school. In 1st Grade, I watched students learn cooperative and math skills simultaneously. In 2nd

Grade, I saw writing objectives seamlessly connect to a science unit. In 3rd Grade, students approached a common core math lesson with enthusiasm more often associated with a trip to Fenton’s. 4th grade math centers challenged students in a myriad of engaging ways. And, in 5th Gradestudents created PowerPoints to showcase their learning.

These are just a few snapshots, but they all represent the rigor, engagement, Socio Emotional Learning, creativity and personalization that Kaiser teachers bring to their classes every day. This leaves no wonder as to why Kaiser had double digit gains the past two years!

Next week you will have a chance to find out even more, directly from your child’s teacher, about their learning and goals for the year ahead. As you know, we will have minimum days all of next week to make time for individual family conferences. If you haven’t already, please schedule a conference directly with your child’s teacher.

And finally, our walk-a-thon is quickly approaching. I want to thank those who have already started fundraising. If you haven’t yet, now is the time! It only takes a couple minutes to help your child set up their page at kaiser.walkstarter.org

~ Dennis Guikema, Principal

Friday, 11.09.18Movie Night

(Hosted by Dad’s Club)

L e s s T h a n 2 W e e k s A w a y !

The Pink Panther Newsletter Page 2 of 4

School News

Oakland Unified School District's "Options Window" is right around the corner. Between November 5th and February 8th, families can rank their choices for the school they would liketheir child to attend. Here's what this means for you:

O U S D 2 0 1 9 - 2 0 2 0 O P T I O N S W I N D O W

Families of Current Kindergarten – 4th Graders: You do not need to do anything. Your child's place at Kaiser for 2019-20 is guaranteed! We will provide a form and ask you for your intent to return after the winter break.

Families of Current 5th Graders: Now is the time to set up visits to middle schools. All schools are hosting tours and info sessions. Check the direct school websites or call the schools you are considering for more details. Be sure to enroll before the window closes, February 8th.

Everyone. Please reach out to your friends and networks to let them know about the enrollment process for next year's kindergarten. (The process is the same for children enrolled for the start of the new school year in other grades as well.) Details about the enrollment process, including tour dates are at: www.KaiserElementary.org/enroll

Please be on the lookout for a message on Konstella asking for volunteers to sign up to share your experiences with prospective families!

The Pink Panther Newsletter

Celeste StanleyPTA President

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Dear Kaiser Community,

The school year continues to hum along and our first big school event the Walk-a-thon is just two (2) short weeks away on Saturday, October 13th. If you have not already done so, please help your child to set up a Walkstarter donation page here: https://kaiser.walkstarter.org. Family, friends, and co-workers can make donations using this personal fundraising page.

I also want to introduce you to Alicia Johnson, as VP of Fundraising and our newest PTA board member. Her family relocated to the East Bay almost 2 years ago from Southern California. Her son, Mickey, is in 2nd grade and daughter, Grace, is in Kindergarten. Alicia’s professional background is in Public Administration and event planning. Alicia is passionate about helping Kaiser raise money to support the school’s financial goals and make sure our kids and teachers have the resources for a successful school year. Alicia responsibilities include working with the committee members of our 3 largest fundraisers: Walk-a-thon, Auction Party and Spring Carnival. Welcome Alicia!

Hope you all have a great week and I’ll see you at the Walk-a-thon on the 13th!

P T A P R E S I D E N T ’ S C O R N E R

PTA News

F R O M O U R H I S T O R I A N : D O Y O U H A V E P H O T O S ?

Hello Kaiser Families!

I'm the Kaiser Historian, which means I chronicle a year in the life of Kaiser school! I'm seeking your help in the form of photographs! Did you get some great shots at the back-to-school dance, or that assembly you attended? Send them to historian@kaiserpta.org so that we can use them in our history book.

Thank you!Kelly Martin

The Pink Panther Newsletter Page 4 of 4

K A I S E R W A L K - A - T H O N 2 0 1 8

NOW is the TIME to make your donation and to ask friends, family and co-workers to support your student

here at Kaiser Elementary. These donations will fund ART, MUSIC, PE, COMPUTERS and MORE and are necessary to

provide your children many of the benefits that make Kaiser Elementary so wonderful.

Don't forget to check to see if your employer will match your donation, by clicking on the Matching link at the top

of the page at: https://kaiser.walkstarter.org

PLEASE DONATE TODAY!https://kaiser.walkstarter.org

Thank you!

We’re just TWO short weeks away from Kaiser’s 42nd Annual

Walk-a-thon and still need to raise $25k!

Saturday, October 18th

10am – 3pm