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 - 9/17/08
The 2008-09 School Year was
launched with enthusiasm from teachers, students and parents! The first day is always a much anticipated
event for many reasons. We were all very
happy and excited to see last year’s group of students return and to
greet all
the new kindergarten faces.
As you may already know, I am a long time
It takes a community to create
a successful school. At no time has this
been truer than it is now when school funding and resources are in
diminishing supply.
And nobody seems to understand this better
than Park Side parent, Lindia Michaelsen.
Lindia has volunteered to become Park Side’s Volunteer
Coordinator. Her goal is to connect people
who have a
special interest, talent or desire to help out with the school staff
members
who need them. We have many working
parents and other family members who would very much like to make a
contribution to their children’s school but are unable to volunteer
regularly
in the classroom. We are developing a
form that will go home in students’ Wednesday folders that invites
parents to
indicate an interest in volunteering and offers several suggestions for
how
they may be of service. No contribution
is too small, every minute helps. Look for
the Volunteer form in your children’s backpacks, and if you don’t find
it,
don’t fret—we have others available in the office.
Stop by any time.
Warmly,
Laurie Whiteside , Principal
International Baccalaureate
Our application to become an IBO Candidate School is complete and
ready
for submission. For the coming weeks and months our IB focus will be
two-pronged:
- 1) how to raise and sustain the funds necessary to support our membership in the IB organization and ongoing training for our staff, and
- 2) selecting and maintaining a school wide focus
and
supporting
teachers in implementing the IB pedagogy.
Teachers are working in grade level teams to develop the
curricula
that
form the core of the trans-disciplinary themes. In addition, they
support one another in finding ways of moving their instructional
practices in directions that will help engender the qualities in their
students that characterize the IB Learner Profile. Students in the IB
Program learn to be: Inquirers, Knowledgeable, Thinkers, Communicators,
Principled, Open-minded, Caring, Risk-takers, Balanced and Reflective.
Would that we all embodied these characteristics! In addition, IB
Coordinator, Jude Kreissman, has paired the Learner Profile with the
qualities promoted through ‘The Toolbox Project,’ the community and
citizenship-building K-5 curriculum adopted last year by the district.
Jude will provide a more extensive report to the Board on our progress
in the process of becoming an International Baccalaureate School.
IBO kick-off event
Please join us for our IBO kick-off event, “A Taste of the World,” Wednesday evening,
October 1st
from
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 - Kindergarten 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 to all grades
- 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
you child knows that their education is important to
their
parents, it will be 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 small, K-3 primary school environment
- Caring and experienced teachers
- Maximum class size of 20
- 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; Life-lab gardening
- Reading interventions
- Supplemental English language classes for adults and children
Many Program Options
- Open Alternative Classrooms (multi-graded K-2) since 1977
- On-site, enrichment child-care at reasonable fees
- Out-of-district families welcomed
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.