VHS- Bear Tracks December Issue

Vine Hill Elementary School

December 1, 2016

Dear Vine Hill Families,

I hope you enjoyed your extended time with family over the Thanksgiving weekend. Everyone is well rested and the children are enjoying the cooler fresh air as we approach winter. I enjoy their exuberance on the playground!

I was able to see Screenagers on November 1st. The screening, held at Scotts Valley Middle School was well attended and informative. There were three messages that resonated with me.

Teen and tween boys are very attracted to video games and if they are not properly monitored they can become addicted. It is so important for adults to control the amount of time children spend playing video games.
Girls are drawn to screen time that is social. They spend an inordinate amount of time on social media sites and texting. They often experience body image issues and low self-esteem due to inappropriate online communication.
Parents need to have access to their children's passwords and monitor their time online.

I will be working with our School Site Council and the Vine Hill Staff to develop a plan at school that will enable us to more closely monitor student use of phones and other devices.

I encourage all parents and guardians to limit screen time for your children and make sure they have ample outdoor time.

We have been updating our website to include more resources for you. You will find information about our math curriculum, our social emotional curriculum, as well as calendar updates.

Sincerely,

Julie Ebert / Principal

Winter Break

December 23rd - January 16th

Did you Make a Cash Donation to the PTA?

Don't forget to submit your receipt information to your employer's corporate match program for charitable contributions!

In many cases, this can double your donation!

Questions? Please contact Dena Colledge, VP of Membership at [email protected]

CONGRATULATIONS

THERESA BARRY

YOU ARE THE WINNER OF THE ONE NIGHT STAY AT THE DREAM INN!

Thank you all who purchased Vine Hill Auction Tickets this past weekend! With each ticket sale we are one dollar closer to providing our children with all the programs they know and love! Tickets are still

available at vinehillauction.com.

March 4, 2017

SAVE THE DATE

WOW SCIENCE/SCIENCE

FAIR NEWS

In Wow Science (week of 11/28-12/3), we will be testing sling shots to collect data. We will then figure out which type of graph would best present that data. For more information on which graph to use for your child's science fair project, check out this link from the National Center for Education Statistics -

https://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/help/user_guide/graph/whentouse.asp

How to make a mini-marshmallow blaster

You will need:

Empty toilet paper tube
Rubber balloon
Scissors
Mini-marshmallow

Directions:

Cut off half of the balloon, place the balloon half (doesn't matter which half) on one end of the tube, insert a mini marshmallow, pull back the balloon and let go! (I'll show your student in class, they'll know how to do it!) Like with any good science project involving flying projectiles, parental supervision and protective eyewear is recommended!

The Science Fair is approaching! Here are some important dates:

Parent Information Workshop - For parents and students - Wednesday, December 14th at 6:30 p.m. (Entry forms, notebooks, and boards will be available after this date.)

After School Science Fair Help - For students who need help choosing, researching or figuring out how to do a project - Wednesday, December 21st from 12:30-1:30 p.m.

Vine Hill Science Fair - Saturday, January 28th at Scotts Valley High School, student judging at noon, open to the public 1-3 p.m.

Helpful Science Fair Links:

Vine Hill PTA - "Science Fair":

www.vinehillpta.org/science

Santa Cruz County Science Fair Guide:

http://science.santacruz.k12.ca.us/pdfs/ScienceFairGuide.pdf

For more information on Wow Science or how you can help at the Science Fair email Mrs. Masongsong-Ray at [email protected]

Supporting Vine Hill School through your regular shopping is the easiest way to support our children !

We are all shopping and dining out anyway, so why not earn money for our school at the same time? To find out how you, and your family members can join one or ALL of the loyalty programs that give back to our school, please go to http://www.vinehillpta.org/#!escrip/c1zhg.

It only takes a few minutes to set up and start earning for our school.

If you have any questions about how to sign up or designate Vine Hill PTA as where to apply your donation, please contact
Andrea Spielvogel at [email protected] or Heidi Denger at [email protected].

Let's not leave free money on the table. Join us in doing these small things that make a BIG difference for our kids and their school.