Crocker Highlands Weekly BulletinEcometro
525 Midcrest Road, Oakland, CA 94610
Phone: 510-451-5900
crockerschool.org
facebook.com/crockerschool
@crockerschool 
 
Beth Rhine, Principal

 Wendy Ghorai/Jessica Tagami,
PTA Co-Presidents
   
November 28th, 2011
Calendar
In November & December
Crocker Community Celebrates...
Acceptance

In This Issue
Principals Message
Holiday Concerts
Report Cards
Minimum Days
Volunteers Needed
Scrip Card Order
Annual Giving
Girl Scouts Drive
Crocker Craft Fair
Equity Meeting
Crocker Sing-along
        Message from your Principal

Dear Families,

Welcome back from Thanksgiving break!  I hope you all had a nice vacation and had time to catch up with family and friends.

It's going to be a busy three weeks, leading up to winter break.  Please mark your calendar for the following events:

December 1st & 2nd - Book Fair
December 2nd - School Equity Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
December 8th - Holiday Sing-Along (see below)
December 8th and 9th - Additional Minimum Days for Parent Conferences
December 9th - Report Cards go home
December 10th - Craft Fair, 10:00 - 1:00
December 15th - Winter Vocal Concerts (see times below)

On a very different note, there is a School District Community Input Meeting on Tuesday, November 29th regarding School Boundary Changes.  (The meeting on the 29th is specifically regarding the Lakeview boundary change.)  I posted the maps of the proposed changes on the board outside the office, along with the announcement of the meeting.  At this time, it does look like Crocker Highlands will grow a little next year, though it doesn't look like it will be a dramatic change.  The link for the information is http://thrivingstudents.org/15/school-boundary-information.

Have a great week!

Beth Rhine 
 Crocker's Holiday Concerts
Thursday, December 15th

This year, we're trying something new and scheduling our Holiday Concerts by "Buddy Classes" (K & 3rd, 1st  & 4th  and 2nd  & 5th).  We're looking forward to this change, so come join us on Thursday, December 15th for our annual holiday performances.  The concerts are scheduled in the morning as follows:

    8:50      Kindergarten and Third Grade Classes
    9:45    First and Fourth Grade Classes
    10:45    Second and Fifth Grade Classes

All of the concerts will be held in the Multi-Purpose Room.

We're having a great time in Music and the children are learning lots of different songs in a variety of genres (Reggae, the Beatles and now, Opera!).   Come see what the Crocker kids have been working on and be a part of our holiday celebration on Thursday, December 15th.  

We encourage children to dress up for the concerts.

If you'd like to help out with decorating, working on programs or other production details, please let me know.

 Thank you for all you do to support our Music Program!

Jill Rose
  It's that time of year - Report Cards!

The first trimester of school ends on Friday, December 2nd.  Teachers are currently working on report cards and will be doing so for the next couple of weeks.  Many of the teachers will be doing the on-line version of the report cards, as encouraged by the district.  There are limitations to the on-line report cards.  One is the ability to only mark 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1.  A plus (+) or a minus (-) cannot be added to the number.  The same applies to the subcategories, where the mark can only be a plus, slash (used to be a check) or a minus, +  /  -.  This will be a change for many students who in the past received a + or a - to a mark.  

It is a standards-based report card, meaning that it measures whether or not a student has met the standards for their grade level.  The numbers do not correspond to grades, i.e., 5 does not equal A, etc.  Using a five-point scale, the following marks will be used for all the ELA and Math strands:

5 - Advanced Grade Level Performance (working above grade level expectations)
4 - Proficient Grade Level Performance (on track to meet grade level expectations)
3 - Approaching Grade Level Performance (developing toward grade level expectations)
2 - Below Grade Level Performance  (making progress but many areas of concern)
1 - Far Below Grade Level Performance (experiencing difficulty completing grade level work)

Marks in subcategories for Growth in Meeting Standards/Expectations:
+   Above Standards/Expectations
/   Meets Standards/Expectations
-   Below Standards/Expectations (developing/an area of concern)

The performance level tells parents how their child performed when compared to the standard and how close he/she is toward mastering the standard.  To achieve Advanced (5), a child must be working above or showing a depth of understanding beyond the grade level standards.  If your child received a 4 with a slash (/), that means that your child is meeting grade level expectations.  A minus (-) doesn't mean your child is failing.  It means that this is an area that is developing and needs additional time and support in order to be mastered.

Please consider report cards a snapshot of your child's progress, not a report of his/her successes and failures.  Our vision is for all students to grow academically, and we want to encourage the hard work and effort that goes into continuing that growth.
 Minimum Days - Mark your Calendars!

Please make note of the following additional minimum days:

* Thursday and Friday, December 8th and 9th
* Friday, December 16th

Volunteers Needed for Book Fair

Volunteers are needed for the Crocker To The Book Fair and Beyond!  Please join in the fun on Thursday, December 1st and 2nd, from 8:30am-8:00pm. This is Crocker's only event devoted exclusively to encouraging kids to read and providing the gift of books for Crocker's classrooms and library.
 
 
To make the 2011 Book Fair a success, we need your help! Volunteers are needed to help set-up on the morning of Wednesday November 30th, and to staff the event on December 1st and December 2nd. If you are able to work a two-three hour shift, please sign-up on the sign-up genius site or contact Liz Fitzgerald LizFitzgerald12@yahoo.com.
"Scrip card order this week!"


    For those of you who are already signed up to purchase scrip on shopwithscrip.com, we are planning on making a Crocker gift card order the morning of Wednesday, November 30th. Get your order in and you should have the cards in your hands by the next week. Think of holiday gifts...iTunes, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Peet's, etc. For those of you who aren't yet signed up, get on board! This is a     super easy way for you to earn free money for the school. Email Amy Catalano at scrip@crockerschool.org with questions or if you need help signing up.
        Annual Giving Fall Drive: "You Call This Dinner!!!"

 Thanks to those of you that have responded to our "Feed The Cougar" campaign so far. Unfortunately, he is still HUNGRY! He's not a salad and sprouts type of cougar, he needs red meat!!  You know the drill, please send in you contribution NOW! He is not full until we reach 100K!!

What you can do now to help us reach our goal? Put a check in the green PTA mailbox right outside the school office, or pay by credit card online at http://crockerschool.org/.

Don' forget to ask whether your company offers Corporate matching? Last year we raised almost $20K in corporate matches. Here are some companies we know do matching: Adobe, Bank of the West, Clorox, Dodge & Cox, GE, Kaiser Permanente, Macy's, Morgan Stanley, SalesForce.com, Starbucks, Visa, Wells Fargo. You can also contact our Annual Giving Chair,Tom Heinz, for help in setting it up or with any questions: theinz@eastbayinnovations.org.

Did you already give and want to give more? Great! Want to spread out your donation over the year in monthly installments? Not a problem! Just select "I would like my donation to recur" on the Crocker site. Crocker's Tax ID is 94-6171881.

Check our new page  http://crockerschool.org/annualgiving_donations/ on the Crocker website to make sure we received your gift !
 
Girl Scouts collect toiletries for homeless youth

Crocker Highlands Brownie Troop 30981 is collecting toiletries for homeless youth in Oakland.  There are currently 1,700 homeless youth, ages 14-23, living on the streets in Alameda County.  Our Brownie troop seeks to provide some basic necessities to show the that we care.  Hygiene supplies will be delivered to the East Oakland Community Project, DreamCatcher Emergency Youth Shelter and Misssey, a local agency offering services for exploited youth.

We are requesting donations of unopened shampoo, conditioner, combs, brushes, toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss, deodorant and soap. Full size or travel size are fine. If you don't have travel-size toiletries to donate, consider purchasing a couple of extra items when you are shopping and drop them off at school. 

This is a very easy way to help disadvantaged young people in our community.  You can drop off your donations in a bin in front of the school office.

The campaign runs through December 15.  Please contact Genice Jacobs at 510-530-6687 or genice@profluence.net with any questions.

Thank you,

Robin Walker-Knox
510-866-9976
                              Crocker Craft Fair

Please join the Crocker Community in supporting our very own Cougar Crafters on December 10th, from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm in the school multipurpose room.  This is a wonderful opportunity to browse through students' crafty collections of handmade goods and objects for the holiday season.  Last year, some of the items crafters made were gift tags, beaded necklaces, picture frames, and much more!  Items usually sell for $1 or $2 each.  This is NOT a school fundraiser, but it is an opportunity for students of all grade levels to create something to sell, and have that money to keep.  Please email any questions to crockercraftfair@gmail.com.

Have a Cougar Crafter?  Parents please sign your child up for table space by emailing crockercraftfair@gmail.com by Monday, December 5th.

Would you like to help with the craft fair?  We'll need volunteers to help set-up tables, monitor the "booths" and clean-up when the fair is over.  Please email crockercraftfair@gmail.com.

Thank you!

Louise Bedworth (Butler) and Lesley Podesta (Anderson)
Crocker PTA's Equity Committee
Community Dialogue Series:  How Can We Create a Community At Crocker Where EVERY Child and Family is Valued, Respected, and Thrives?


What is the Equity Committee?

The Equity Committee is an opportunity to come together in a supportive environment to talk, reflect on and learn about how we can continue to build a healthy community in which to raise and nurture all of our children.  We will explore together what equity means to each of us--as members of the Crocker and Oakland community.  We will learn from one another how we can honor and embrace our diverse experiences and perspectives and how we can create a school community that cares for and meets the diverse needs of our children.  Together, we will learn skills for talking about issues of race, socioeconomic class, culture, sexual orientation, family structure, gender, learning style and needs, and the many other ways we are diverse.  We will discuss and learn about how these issues play out and impact our experience of school.  And, we will strengthen our own relationships across our differences and model for our children how to embrace, learn from, and ultimately create healthier, more caring and inclusive environments for all of us to live and grow.       


Who should attend?
Everyone is welcome!  Please join us if you...

*are interested in hearing from others about their experiences at Crocker

*want to work with others to strengthen our community

*are interested in learning about issues of educational equity

*want to meet new people

*are just curious!

Please join us on Thursday, December 1st, 6:30-8:30 in the Crocker Library.  Childcare and pizza provided.  Please RSVP for childcare to president@crockerschool.org.

This will be our 2nd session this year and we encourage prior participants as well as new folks to come out and join us.  Articles that were shared at the 1st session will be posted and made available to all members of our community.

Warm regards,
Kathleen Osta and LaShawn Rout�
Equity Committee Co-chairs  
Our First-Ever Holiday Sing-along for Crocker Families!
Thursday, December 8th from 6:45 - 7:45 p.m.
in the Multi-Purpose Room

Please join us on Thursday evening, December 8th for a community sing.  We'll be singing all kinds of songs: holiday songs, Beatles songs, and lots more.  We'll have song sheets for you and refreshments, so bring yourselves and your Holiday spirit! For an extra cozy evening, come in your pajamas if you'd like! We'll have some chairs set up in the back half of the room so bring blankets to sit on, too.  Let's get comfortable and relax and celebrate the winter season together!