Welcome to Kindergarten!
We look forward to greeting our new
Kindergarten students in
the Fall. Click here to
start making plans!
Stay Updated - Sign up to receive Park Side News emails!
Whenever there is an important event, schedule change or other
important information worth noting, you will receive a VERY brief email
message from Park Side administrators. This new system is called "Park
Side News." Try it! If you
don't like it, it's easy to unsubscribe.
District Newsletter - ONLINE Distribution
Click here for the current Tri School
Tribune (SUSD District Newsletter).
As part of Sebastopol Union School District’s ongoing efforts to “go
green,” the Tri School Tribune will be posted on each school’s website,
in addition to the district website, beginning with the December, 2008
issue. A
limited number of hard copies will be available in the schools’ offices
for those who would like to pick them up.
For past issues for the Newsletter, go to the Sebastopol Union School District Newsletter Archive.
Bell Schedule
The bell schedule this year is as follows:
8:30am School begins (all students)
1:10pm Kindergarten students dismissed (all days)
2:25pm 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade students dismissed *
2:55pm 4th and 5th grade students dismissed *
* Minimum Days - Kindergarten dismissed at 1:10pm and all other
grades dismiss at 1:30pm.
Principal's Message
Welcome back to the 2009 portion of the year!
We here at Park Side hope you had a restful and enjoyable winter break
and that you return to school refreshed and excited about all of the
wonderful learning experiences and activities we have in store for you.
Parents, as you know from looking back on your own school
experience, positive memories are formed through the traditions and
customs that were woven throughout your elementary years. We have
many such traditions here, such as the Fall Festival, Art Jam, the
Spelling Bee, Music Performances, to name a few, and are adding new
ones all the time. For instance, we begin each week with a Monday
morning sing-a-long, either in the amphitheater or in the Multi-purpose
Room. The entire school gathers to sing traditional American folk
songs, often commemorating the season or a seasonal event. We use
the time to make brief announcements, to remind students about safety
rules, etc. These gatherings generally last 10-15 minutes and you
are all always invited.
This month we add a new traditon by reviving an old one. On
the second Monday morning assembly of each month, students in grades 3
through 5 will be honored when three students from each class are
selected to receive awards in one of three areas: Academic
Excellence for students who have made or maintained significant gains
in one or more academic areas; Student of the Month for students who
have made a particular effort, worked eespecially hard or achieved a
personal goal; and the Golden Rule award for students who have
demonstrated the social traits and values we encourage, such as
kindness, honesty, integrity, courtesy and respect for themselves and
others. Surprise Art and PE awards will also be given. If
your child is slated to receive an award, you will receive a letter
inviting you to the assembly at which he or she will be named and
honored.
The Student Recognition Awards serve as a reminder that it is our
task to educate the "whole child," and that the most successful
education is the result of a group effort involving the school staff,
the children's families, the community and the children
themselves.
In that sense, we are all recognized and all honored.
·
Warmly,
Laurie Whiteside , Principal
International Baccalaureate
We are excited and pleased to announce that our Application for
Candidacy to become an International Baccalaureate School has been
approved! Thanks to the efforts of the Park Side staff and the
hard work of IB Coordinator, Jude Kreissman, we were officially granted
IB Candidacy on December 18. We will be assigned a consultant who will
assist us in honing our curriculum and in ensuring instruction
continues to be dynamic, interactive, child-centered and exciting.
Among the other benefits of our new status is access to many online
resources, including curricula that has been developed by teachers at
International Schools all over the world. We will be able to
establish direct links with other schools and our students will be able
to form relationships with students from other countries and cultures.
Our IB Parent Steering Committee has been very active developing
projects and events that support the program financially and through
greater involvement by our families. Most recently, students from all
classes created artwork depicting the IB Learner Profile showing
students as: Thinkers, Riesk-takers, Inquireres, Communicators,
Open-Minded, Reflective, Knowledgeable, Caring, Balanced and
Principled. From their beautiful work, ten pieces were selected
to be reproduced on notecards that are available for sale. A
packet of 10 cards is $10. They are available in the office and
may even be sold at some Sebastopol business establishments.
Coming next month, on February 28 and March 1, we will be hosting
our second E-Waste Fundraiser this year. This is an excellent
opportunity for you, your friends, neighbors and families to clean out
your houses and garages and get rid of all that electronic garbage
you've been wondering what to do with. Load it into your car and
drive it to the front of the school and we'll do the rest. We can
take all electonic items and accessories including TVs, computers, cell
phones, printers, ink cartridges, dvd/video players, telephones,
spekers, wires, fax machines.
At our first E-Waste Fundraiser last month, we kept 19,538 pounds of
waste out of landfills and made $832 for our program. The company
we work with dismantles, recycles and responsibly disposes all
materials. Nothing is shipped overseas, nothing goes into
landfill. We hope to see you and your electronic garbage on
Saturday, February 28 or Sunday, March 1 from 10:00-4:00 at Park
Side. We are also looking for volunteers to help out during the
event. If you've got some time to spare, call the office and
leave your name and phone number. We'll be in touch.
Safety Reminders
Getting students to school safely and keeping them safe once
they
are here is a top priority.
Ensuring safety requires the joint effort of the entire community, as
well as
families and school staff. We address all safety
concerns promptly. For now, I would like to pass along a few important
reminders:
The
driveway in
front of the school is One-Way. Cars
enter on the east side and exit on the west side. Turning
a car around in the driveway is a
safety hazard. pan
Cars should pull up to the curb before dropping of a child; please do
not allow children to get
out of the car in the middle of the street.
Students may be released to adults named on their Emergency Cards. If
someone
different will be picking up your child one day, please notify us with
a note or phone call. During these hot summer days children may wear
sandals to school as long as they are
securely bound on their feet. No flip-flops, or other open-backed shoes
that may come off when running.
Park Side School Site Council
Park Side School Site Council is an advisory board comprised of parents, community members and school staff. It generally meets once a month in the afternoon for an hour to review, discuss and formulate school goals and to ensure that categorical funds are appropriately allocated to meet those goals. The School Site Council assists the principal in the development of the “Single Plan for Student Achievement,” that organizes academic and other school-wide goals, along with associated expenditures, into one comprehensive document. Council members generally serve for two years, but may serve longer. Participating on the School Site Council is an excellent way to get a behind-the-scenes understanding of how schools operate and an opportunity to ensure that your concerns are addressed. If you think you might be interested in participating, please call or stop by the office and give your name to our secretary, Mary. A ballot will be prepared and distributed in the next couple of weeks.
Park Side, the Movie!
Check out our new video; produced in cooperation with the Analy
High School media lab. Click the triangular play icon to watch. Click
the
speaker icon to adjust the volume.
(If you see a broken quicktime icon, please visit Apple's Quicktime page to upgrade you Quicktime player.)
Park Side and Pine Crest Reconfiguration
Park
Side and Pine Crest schools are now both K-5
schools! Park Side is also applying to become an
International
Baccalaureate Organization (IBO). Pine Crest is now a
multi-graded classroom school. Both campuses have put together
philosophy statements for families to review.
See below for
Park Side's Philosophy
Statement. Go to pinecrest.sebastopolschools.org
to learn about Pine Crest's new direction.
Park Side Philosophy Statement
Click
here for a WORD document of Park Side's Philosophy
Goal
For
over 70 years, Park Side elementary has given
Sebastopol's children a firm, wide-ranging academic foundation on
which to build successful futures. Nurturing and
caring adults provide a safe and orderly learning environment.
2008-2009 Featured Program Services
- Before and after-schools care through the CASTLE
program
Spanish instruction - Grade 1 through Grade 5 - Friendship Skill and Social Development through ToolBox and Rainbow House
- Art and Music instruction
Candidate School - IBO - Primary Years Program (PYP)
- Encourage a global perspective in all subjects
Guided inquiry method instruction - Teaches critical thinking skills
- Teaches socially responsible behavior
- Spanish Language instruction in grades 1 through 5
- Teachers work in teams to develop units to study around six universal themes:
- 1) Who we are
- 2) Where we are in place and time
- 3) How we express ourselves
- 4) How the world works
- 5) How we organize ourselves
- 6) Sharing the planet
- The Primary Years Program provides a curriculum framework which focuses on the development of the whole child.
Professional Teaching Staff
- All teachers are Highly Qualified and fully
certified
All teachers receive IBO training in methodology and curriculum planning
To
schedule a tour of
the
school,
please call the school office at
(707) 829-7400.
Reading at Home
When
your children know that their education is important to
their
parents, it becomes that much more important
to them, as well. Reading is the foundation of a successful education.
Parents
are encouraged to read every day to their children (note: they can
listen to the same
books 50 times and still want to hear it again!). Start the year right
by setting
ground-rules with the children that limit their television watching,
and emphasize
reading for at least 20-30 minutes a day.
A California Distinguished School
- A neighborhood school environment
- Caring and experienced teachers
- Maximum class size of 20 in grades K-3
- Child-centered, age appropriate curriculum
- High test scores
- Expansive and safe playground
- Parent participation is solicited and valued
- State-of-the-art library
- Hands-on activities
- Reading interventions
- Supplemental English language classes for adults and children
SEF Pledge Program
Support
the Sebastopol Educational Foundation (SEF) Pledge
Program
to
raise money for our kids. The state funds basic education, the
Parcel Tax funds enrichment such as art, music and library. Funds
are still needed to support enrichment programs with supplies (e.g. for
art and music), additional programs such as Spanish and sports, and
also fund field trips and assemblies, and purchase classroom
supplies. Let's keep our teachers in the classroom, NOT raising
money! Pick up a pledge form from one of the three campuses or pledge now online with
your credit card!
School District
Not
sure of school District boundaries? Contact the
Business
Services department, (707) 524-2641, to purchase district maps.
You can also take a look at the general district
boundary map for Sonoma County. For the name of the school
district corresponding to a particular street address, contact the main
receptionist, (707) 524-2600, at the Sonoma County Office of Education.