!
APRIL 15, 2015
Los Gatos Union School District
Bulldog Beat
www.lgusd.k12.ca.us
Dear Van Meter Community,
Welcome back! I hope that all of our Van Meter
families enjoyed their time off during Spring
Break. I have already heard quite a few stories
of cool trips and adventures that were had by
some of our families.
We have begun our Smarter Balanced
Assessments for 4th and 5th grade students.
Testing for these two grade levels runs through
next week. Making sure our students get a
good night's sleep and have a balanced
breakfast will greatly benefit their test taking
efforts. We got off to a great start yesterday
and I have no doubt that it will be smooth
sailing the rest of the way. We are looking for a new set of parents to help
run our Science Fair. It's a really fun and
rewarding event! Interested in co-chairing?
Contact Bina Desai: [email protected]
Some important dates to put on your calendar:
Bulldog Stampede - May 6th
Volunteer Tea - May 8th
Open House - May 14th
Fun and Field Day May 29th
5th grade promotion ceremony - June 4th
@8:45 am on Van Meter Blacktop
Rick Rauscher
Principal- Louise Van Meter Elementary
School
Los Gatos Union School District
(408) 335-2280
DATES TO REMEMBER
April
15 Home and School Club Mtg. 6:00 PM MPR
15 Green Bike Lane Ribbon Cutting 12:15 PM
Celebration 12:30 LG Blvd. & Nino Avenue
16 CASA General Mtg. 10-11:30 LGHS Comm.
21 Public Hearing - LGSUHSD D.O. 5:00 PM
!
(See flyer below for details)
MAY
6 Bulldog Stampede
6 New Kindergarten Parent Orientation 1:00
PM MPR
8 Cornerstone Parent Meeting MPR 8:30 AM
8 Volunteer Tea - 7:45 LVM MPR
14 LVM Open House 6:30- 7:30 PM
25 MEMORIAL DAY HOLIDAY - NO SCHOOL
29 Fun and Field Day
JUNE
2 5th Grade Picnic
4 Last Day of School - Minimum Day
AUGUST
17 2015-2016 School Year Begins
Mrs. Martin’s Art Lessons
Please visit Mrs. Martin’s Art blog at: http://
www.mrsmartinartclass.blogspot.com/
for updates on what is happening in your
students art classroom, student artwork from
across the district and parent child activities
that connect to each lesson!
April 15, 2015
H&SC UPDATE
HELP WANTED
Lots of volunteering
opportunities through
iVolunteer (Parents on
Campus, FunZone,
and Clay)
H&SC General Meeting
Today at 6pm
The H&SC is looking for board members. If you are interested in volunteering
please come to tonight’s General Meeting. Open positions: President,
President-Elect, Technology, Volunteer, and Secretary. Our bylaws can be
located on the H&SC website. Next year’s election will be held at the H&SC
General Meeting on May 20.
2014-2015 Yearbook
DATES
Last Week to Order Before the Price Increase!
• April 15 @ 6:00pm
H&SC General
Meeting
Order online at http://www.vanmeterhsc.org/yearbook/
• May 6
Bulldog Stampede
Fill out a Yearbook order form in the front office and return with a check payable
to Van Meter H&SC:
Don’t delay, order today!
OR
• May 8 @10am
Volunteer Tea
• $25/copy now
• $30/copy after April 17th
Bulldog Stampede
Looking for Sponsors
The Bulldog Stampede is rolling into town on May 6th and we need sponsors!
• 6 T-Shirt Sponsors @ $250each - Sponsor logo will appear on back of
T-shirts (under the lap numbers)
• 6 Icicle/Popsicle Sponsors @ $50each
• 4 Dee Jay Sponsors @ $100each
• 4 Balloon Sponsor @ $50each
Please email [email protected] if you have questions or would like to
sponsor the event!
RESOURCES
H&SC Website
School Calendar
Volunteering
Donations
Bulldog Store
Green Bike Lanes
Ribbon Cutting Today @ 12:30pm at Los Gatos & Nino Intersection
This is in collaboration between the Safe Routes to School Committee, our schools
and the Town of Los Gatos to introduce new safe bike lanes. Van Meter will be
piloting this new program for the Town of Los Gatos.
Testarossa Gives Back
Wednesday April 27 4 to 8pm at Wine Bar 107
15% of the sales for the night goes to Van Meter. Bring this flyer to qualify.
Like us on Facebook
We would love to hear from you! You can email the H&SC board at [email protected].
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
ON:
A PROPOSED TRANSFER OF TERRITORY
FROM
UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT AND
CAMPBELL UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT
TO
LOS GATOS UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT AND
LOS GATOS-‐SARATOGA JOINT UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT The Santa Clara County Commi4ee on School District Organiza:on will conduct the second of two public hearings to obtain public response to a request to transfer 59 parcels from Union School District and Campbell Union High School District to Los Gatos Union School District and Los Gatos-‐Saratoga Joint Union High School District.
Public hearings will be held at the following locaHons and Hmes:
Tuesday April 21, 2015 5:00 p.m.
Los Gatos-‐Saratoga Joint Union High School District – Board Room
17421 Farley Road West
Los Gatos 95030
For more informa:on regarding the process and public hearings, contact Suzanne Carrig at (408) 453-‐6869. CORNERSTONE CORNER
Should You Talk to Strangers?
(Published from materials on Project Cornerstone web site, and raisinghappiness.com)
Over the next two months, many classes will be introduced and re-introduced to a shy young man in
“Sebastian’s Roller Skates,” written by Joan de Déu Prats.
Sebastian lives in a very quiet, self-contained world. His shyness prevents him from interacting and
socializing with his peers and caring adults. Kids who are alone, have few allies, and are not
connected to caring adults they can turn to when they need help are easy targets. With practice and
perseverance, Sebastian learns to roller-skate. This new skill gives him confidence and helps him to
stand tall. Bullies often look for people who appear to be timid, shy, and lack confidence. Sebastian is
an unlikely target for a bully, now that he has learned to stand tall and bloom with his newly
developed skills!
Adults may feel hesitant to approach the youth who appears inward-focused, or withdrawn. They are
counting on us however to apply our advanced practice in social communication to connect. The
benefits are far more than one-sided; we as caring adults are enriched by meeting and
communicating with youth in our community as well.
In the article “Should you Talk to Strangers,” on Dr. Christine Carter’s blog, research revealed that…
“…A half dozen recent studies demonstrate the power that
connecting with strangers (read, people of all ages) has to make
us happier. Research also suggests that that talking to strangers
makes us luckier.”
Also, “In another study, researchers measured how much people enjoyed
interacting with people they barely knew, and how much they enjoyed connecting with loved ones.
Turns out that interacting with both types of people made both introverts and extroverts happier -- and
the more social interactions they had, the happier people were. Read the full article here.
Even though youth may need encouragement and practice at engaging in social interactions with
adults, Sebastian’s story reminds us that youth are listening, watching and participating (even quietly)
in each interaction we initiate with them. As demonstrated by the adults in the book, it is important to
persevere and interact with youth at every opportunity, even when there are few outward signs of
engagement. Caring adults can intentionally and purposefully build assets in youth with each
interaction. In this way, we contribute to helping our youth grow into strong, competent, caring,
healthy members of our community.
To learn more about volunteering for Project Cornerstone as a classroom ABC Reader, or as a
lunchtime FunZone Volunteer, contact [email protected]