ORINDA UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT
NEWSLETTER
January 18, 2019
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Dear OUSD Families,
Happy 2019 to all of you! Amid the rain yesterday morning, there was a beautiful rainbow right here in Orinda. It reminded me of one of my favorite sayings, "No rain, no rainbow."
Today I visited Glorietta's Diverse Abilities Awareness Week and attended sessions that taught students about guide dogs, Braille, American Sign Language, and creative ways people have accomplished myriad tasks despite their physical challenges. After her harness was removed, I had the pleasure of greeting Ames, the two-year old guide dog of presenter Carrie Farber. Carrie has limited sight, and Ames helps her navigate through life. Carrie was very impressed by the questions our students asked and their interest. She is a Principal Product Manager of eCommerce for Walmart. You can read an article she wrote, "How My Disability is Helping Make Walmart.com More Accessible"
here
. I thank Carrie and the many other community and parent volunteers who make programs like Diverse Abilities Awareness Week possible for our students.
2019-2020 School Calendar
Now that we are officially in the year 2019, I want to highlight our
calendar
for the 2019-2020 school year. Please note that school will begin
one week earlier
on Wednesday, August 14, 2019, and end one week earlier on Friday, May 29, 2020. Our teachers, staff, and principals thank you for scheduling vacations in accordance with our school calendar to ensure your child maximizes his/her participation in classroom instruction led by our outstanding OUSD teachers.
This calendar was approved by the OUSD Board in May, 2018, following approval by the Acalanes Union High School District's (AUHSD) Board of their 2019-2020 school
calendar
in March. AUHSD Superintendent John Nickerson led a calendar task force for several months comprised of staff and parent representatives from all K-8 feeder school districts and AUHSD. This task force recommended shifting the school calendar one week earlier beginning with the 2019-2020 school year.
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A Familiar Face Returning to Assist in Interim Role at OIS
Toni McShane, retired Assistant Principal from Stanley Middle School in Lafayette, has provided valuable support to OIS Principal Stacy Wayne since August of 2018. In order to remain in retired status, Mrs. McShane has to end her time at OIS later this month. We cannot thank her enough for sharing her passion for and expertise in middle school education with our OIS community. Though we will miss Mrs. McShane greatly, we are very fortunate to welcome former Glorietta Principal Ron Langer back to OIS as an interim administrator for the remainder of this school year. Prior to serving as Glorietta Principal, Mr. Langer was a Teacher and Associate Principal at OIS from 1994 to 2010. He looks forward to reconnecting with the veteran OIS staff members and meeting those who joined the team more recently. He also looks forward to seeing his former Glorietta students at OIS and getting to know all of the other OIS students.
The timeline for filling the OIS Associate Principal position is as follows:
- January 28, 2019 - Position posted
- February 22, 2019 - Applications due
- Ongoing through February 26, 2019 - Candidate screening
- Week of March 4-8, 2019 - Interviews (two rounds)
- March 11, 2019 - Recommendation of new OIS Associate Principal to the Board of Trustees for approval
The new OIS Associate Principal will start at OIS beginning with the 2019-2020 school year.
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To ensure you are accessing this newsletter in its entirety, you may need to select "Display images below" from your email and "View entire message." The last section is entitled, "Connect With Us!"
As always, I welcome your comments, suggestions, and questions on any topic related to our OUSD schools.
Sincerely,
Dr. Carolyn Seaton
Superintendent of Schools
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- January 21: MLK Observance - No School
- January 30: Board Governance Workshop, 1:00-4:00 p.m.
- February 11: Regular School Board Meeting, 6:00 p.m.
- February 14: Board Coffee at Glorietta, 8:15 a.m.
- February 15: Presidents’ Day Observance, School Closed
- February 18: Presidents’ Day Observance, School Closed
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Photo by former OUSD parent Jennifer Moffet
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OUSD Board Member School Assignments for 2018-2019:
OIS: Jason Kaune
Del
Rey: Hillary Weiner
Glorietta: Carol Brown
Sleepy Hollow: Cara Hoxie
Wagner Ranch: Liz Daoust
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OUSD Board Meeting Email Distribution List
The next regularly scheduled Board meeting will be held
Monday, Feb. 11, at 6:00 p.m.
If you would like to receive information regarding future Board meetings, email Debbie Jamieson at
djamieson@orindaschools.org
.
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The Board of Trustees took the following actions at their January 14, 2019, regularly scheduled monthly meeting:
The Board discussed, but took no action on the following item:
The Board will conduct a Governance Workshop on
Wednesday
,
January 30,
from 1-4 p.m. at the OUSD District Office.
The next Board Coffee will be held
Thursday, February 14, from 8:15-9:15 a.m. at Glorietta
. The schedule for future Board coffees can be found
here
. All are welcome!
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Teacher Training and Professional Development
A significant aspect that makes Orinda schools exemplary is our strong ongoing professional development and support. Our teacher coaches, the support of our new teachers, and robust trainings are a few of the many ways we continue to keep our staff on the cutting edge of curriculum and instruction. Some of the recent trainings and support for Orinda teachers include:
- Math training at all elementary sites for all grade levels focused on providing ways to challenge students
- Teacher Professional Book Club discussion group focused on conferring and best practices in reading and writing instruction
- Training on our DIBELS pilot program for early literacy with K-2 teachers
- Bay-Sci Leadership training for science instruction K-8
- Teacher Coaches in Math, Literacy, Technology, and STEAM working with individual teachers and small groups (thank you, Parent Clubs!)
It inspires me to watch so many of our accomplished staff continue to push themselves and reflect on how they can improve and hone their craft. Orinda teachers are such a strong learning community who model for students what it means to be a lifelong learner.
Science and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math)
Strong science instruction and STEAM are a central focus of the Orinda Union School District and follow our strategic directions to inspire innovators and problem solvers and create resourceful collaborators and critical thinkers. Our teachers are continuing to deepen their capacity to deliver engaging and effective science and STEAM lessons. Some of the highlights for this work include:
- Teachers and administrators attending our BaySci leadership day at UC Berkeley, where we discussed and planned effective ways to be more aligned with our science practices and how to best communicate our work in science
- 4th Graders from Glorietta (see picture on left) showcasing their Doodlebot robots at the January Board Meeting
- OIS 7th grade science students sharing their project based learning through presentations to 5th graders and other OIS students
- Continued Makers’ Space/STEAM lab development at all sites with support from STEAM Coach Katie Gardner
- Wagner Ranch Nature Area Committee Field Trip to Walker Creek Ranch in Marin County
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Registration for Kindergarten and Transitional Kindergarten for the 2019-2020 School Year
We are excited to announce that early kick off
registration
for TK & Kindergarten students for the 2019-20 school year will be February 4 - 7, 2019. Parents/guardians of eligible students will register utilizing our new online process.
Transitional Kindergarten students must have their fifth birthday between September 2 - December 2, 2019. Kindergarten students must be at least five years of age on or before September 1, 2019.
Parents/guardians are welcome to use a computer at one of our elementary schools when registering their child. Contact the school's main office to make arrangements.
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Spotlight on Dr. Brian Inglesby,
OUSD Director of Human Resources
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Brian Inglesby, has returned home to OUSD to serve as Director of Human Resources. Dr. Inglesby was inspired to become an educator because both of his parents were teachers. In addition, Dr. Inglesby’s uncle was Superintendent of Schools of Alameda County for 20 years. Dr. Inglesby attended UC Santa Cruz for his undergraduate education and majored in psychology. Becoming a School Psychologist was the perfect career for him because it married his love of education, supporting students with disabilities, and psychology.
Dr. Inglesby was born in Walnut Creek and raised in Pleasanton where he attended public elementary, middle, and high school. Following graduation from UC Santa Cruz, he later earned his M.A. in School Psychology from San Francisco State University and his Ed.D. from UC Berkeley.
Dr. Inglesby’s work experience includes 17 years serving in the Redwood City School District as a School Psychologist, Special Education Principal, and Administrator. He then worked in the Woodside School District for three years as a Special Education Director. He finally made his way to Orinda in 2011 where he served as the Director of Special Services/Personnel for three years. Dr. Inglesby left Orinda for a new professional learning opportunity as the Executive Director of the Contra Costa SELPA where he worked with 16 school district Superintendents across the county. Fortunately for us, his heart strings pulled him back to Orinda when the position of Director of Human Resources became available. According to Dr. Inglesby, the best part about serving as Director of Human Resources in OUSD is being back at the local level and interacting daily with employees who positively impact students’ lives.
When he’s not working on Human Resources activities, Dr. Inglesby enjoys cooking, reading, working in his yard, engaging in home improvement tasks, and taking weekend drives. He also thoroughly enjoys time with his friends and family, particularly those times that make him laugh. He is honored to have the opportunity to return to OUSD and be part of a team that is doing outstanding work to support student learning. He lives nearby in Walnut Creek with his partner, Ted, and their 10 year old sheltie, Bella.
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On Thursday, December 13, Wagner Ranch students attended a Diverse Abilities Awareness assembly at which Eli, a young adult with Down Syndrome, and his mother, Jennifer, taught students about Eli's experiences growing up, his challenges, and how we can learn from and get to know people with different abilities.
Prior to Winter Break, Wagner Ranch held its annual ensemble winter concert. A huge thank you to vocal music teacher Ron Pickett for leading these students in an inspiring performance and to EFO for supporting the arts in our schools.
Thanks to the generosity of Wagner Ranch families, the annual food drive amassed 975 pounds of food that was donated to the Contra Costa Food Bank. This will provide over 800 meals to those in need! Thank you to Ms. Campbell and Mrs. Manese, Wagner Ranch’s Student Council supervisors, and their charges for leading this effort. Student council members will visit the food bank in February to learn more about their program and to participate in preparing food for delivery.
On Thursday, January 10, Wagner Ranch teaching staff worked with math consultant, Shannon Kiebler. The focus areas of the day included learning more about the intricacies of our math series, Expressions, and exploring methods to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all learners. We also continued the work that we have been doing to better align math instruction across each grade level and vertically between grade levels.
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Upcoming Events
:
- January 21: MLK Day, No School
- January 24: Assembly for 4th and 5th grade students on the Civil Rights Movement, led by Stuart House, Director of Facilities, 9:15 a.m.
- January 24: Parent Ed Night on Student Safety and Emergency Preparedness, 6:00 p.m.
- January 30-February 1: Fourth Graders’ Overnight in the Foothills
- February 1: First Graders’ visit to St. Mary’s College to see the play “Miss Nelson is Missing"
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The first two weeks of January have been jam-packed at OIS as students prepare for the end of the first semester and the start of the second.
OIS students are midway through the winter session of Bulldog Sports. While girls' basketball winds down in January, boys' basketball is just beginning. OIS was delighted with the amazing turnout for yoga, which also began this month.
In continuing the collaboration with
Bay Area Children's Theatre
, Bulldog Theater has launched its spring production of
Footloose, the Musical
. As with the fall production of
The Addams Family
, there are three separate casts with over 100 students participating as either performers or technical crew. Auditions were held this week and by all accounts, our talented students truly brought their "A game."
OIS has greatly enjoyed partnering with Del Rey this month! The spirit of collaboration and the passion of teachers at both sites have allowed for true project-based learning (PBL). Thus far, 4th and 5th graders came to OIS to take part in our Earth Exhibition in our 7th grade science classrooms, and our 6th grade Core (ELA/History) students visited Del Rey to present their ancient history skits to 4th grade classes.
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Upcoming Events
:
- January 21: MLK Day, No School
- January 22: First Day of Second Semester
- January 23: Equity Team Meeting
- January 25: Parents’ Club Meeting, 9:00 a.m.
- February 4, 14, 21, 28: OIS Band Visits to Elementary Schools
- February 5: Theater in Education (TIE) Presentation from Miramonte High School (MHS) Drama
- February 7: 8th Grade Visit to MHS/MHS Open House
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January highlights for Del Rey included a visit from Mr. Stuart House, OUSD Director of Facilities. Mr. House worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and came to Del Rey to share his experiences in an assembly for students. He also played the guitar, sharing a famous song, "We Shall Overcome
."
Del Rey read-alouds this month feature two books:
I Am Human
and
I Am Enough.
Every class at Del Rey will dive into these two books with a lens for positive attitude, acceptance of oneself, acceptance of others, and empathy for all. These read-alouds will help us celebrate the OUSD Character Themes for January and February, empathy and positive attitude, respectively.
Del Rey is launching its Science Fair this month. Del Rey is lucky enough to view portions of a National Geographic documentary that follows six international students on their journey to the international science fair. It was very inspiring and reminds us of how powerful our STEAM programs are in the lives of students.
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Upcoming Events
:
- January 21: MLK Day, No School
- February 1: Family Bingo Night
- February 13: Del Rey Parents’ Club Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
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In December, Glorietta’s student council led a food drive which collected 1257 pounds of food from Glorietta families and employees, which equates to 1048 meals. The One Warm Coat Drive collected over 400 coats. Glorietta is proud of its community’s generosity!
Glorietta teachers held a powerful staff development session with Kate Bolton-Schmuckler, the Visual Impairment Specialist for Contra Costa County Educational Services, and Mina Sun, a Glorietta parent, who provided a hands-on experience and presentation about interacting and collaborating with children with visual impairments.
Glorietta's Diverse Ability Awareness Week took place January 14-18. The week included a performance by the Urban Jazz Dance Company, which consists of a mix of professional Deaf and Hearing dancers. Throughout the week, teachers also engaged students in read-aloud and video discussions and hands-on experiences to raise students' awareness around diverse abilities. The week culminated with an Interactive Fair on Friday. See the Glorietta
website
for more information about the week’s events and participants. Special thanks to DAAW organizers Courtney Bennett, Michelle Holcenberg, Ninon Shesgreen, and Mina Sun for making this week possible.
Teachers will be engaging in professional learning about Math instruction through lesson observations and debriefs with our District Math Coach, Ashley Appel, and a math consultant
on January 30th.
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Upcoming Events
:
- January 21: MLK Day, No School
- January 24: Glorietta Coordinating Council Meeting, 3:15 p.m.
- January 24: Dr. Seaton to visit to Glorietta, 10:00 a.m.
- February 14: Board Coffee at Glorietta, 8:15-9:15 a.m.
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Math consultant, Shannon Kiebler, spent January 9th at Sleepy Hollow with grade level teams focusing on differentiation. Teachers and students were captivated by Ms. Kiebler's lessons as she visited classrooms showing teachers seamless ways to increase student engagement and provide challenges to those who are ready.
Students enjoyed another Kidpower visit from Erika Leonard on January 16th. Erika gave teachers and students opportunities to practice ways to take charge of their own safety.
Sleepy Hollow is preparing for a writing consultant on January 23rd to work with grade level teams focusing on the art of conferring during Writer's Workshop. Conferring happens at all grade levels during each workshop, and we are excited to improve this skill, helping our writers to flourish.
At the end of the month, Sleepy Hollow will hold a Kidpower Parent Night on January 30th in the MPR. All OUSD staff and parents are invited to attend and learn more about how to keep our children safe.
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Upcoming Events:
- January 21: MLK Day, No School
- January 30: Kidpower Parent Night, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
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