ORINDA UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT
NEWSLETTER
April 19, 2019
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2019 TEACHERS OF THE YEAR
From L to R:
Eric Page (OIS)
, Director of Curriculum David Schrag,
Beth Hoogerhuis (SH)
,
Jenny Dodd (DR), Terry Schrittwieser (GL), Liz Headley (WR), Ashley Appel (Multiple Sites)
, Board President Hillary Weiner, Superintendent Dr. Carolyn Seaton
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Dear OUSD Families,
The OUSD Strategic Plan calls on us to cultivate students who "understand the importance of the changing environment and natural world as stewards of the earth." Monday, April 22, is Earth Day, an event that began in 1970 to promote awareness of and appreciation for the Earth's environment. I am proud of the "Green Teams" in place at our OUSD schools and thank the parents and staff who have devoted countless hours to helping our students understand the importance of taking care of our planet. To learn ways your family can get involved in Earth Day 2019, check out our OrindaCares partner
Mindful Littles' blog
and
BayAreaParent
.
2019 Orinda Union School District Teachers of the Year and District Teacher of the Year
An effective teacher is the most important school-based factor in student achievement, and effects of a great teacher on student learning have been found to be cumulative and long-lasting.
During Monday’s meeting, the Board of Trustees honored six 2019 Teachers of the Year, one from each school site and a teacher who serves at two or more sites. The process used to select these outstanding educators is quite rigorous. OUSD employees who wish to nominate a teacher complete a nomination form that is tied to the
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
. School leadership teams meet to review all submitted nomination forms and select the teacher who will represent the school as Site Teacher of the Year. The District Teacher of the Year Committee then interviews each Site Teacher of the Year and observes him/her teaching a lesson. Following the interviews and lesson observations, this committee has the daunting task of selecting the one teacher who will represent the District as the Teacher of the Year.
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Here are the 2019 Orinda Union School District Site Teachers of the Year:
- Del Rey: Jenny Dodd (Grades K & 1)
- Glorietta: Terry Schrittwieser (Grade 1)
- Sleepy Hollow: Beth Hoogerhuis (Special Education)
- Wagner Ranch: Liz Headley (Grade 2)
- OIS: Eric Page (Grade 7 Core)
- Two or More Sites: Ashley Appel (District Math Instructional Coach)
Our deepest gratitude goes to Diablo Foods for donating gorgeous bouquets that were presented to each of our Site Teachers of the Year during the Board Meeting.
Read more
about each honoree and learn who was selected as the 2019 Orinda Union School District Teacher of the Year.
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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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- April 24: OUSD Board Wagner Ranch Site Visit, 8:30-11:00 a.m.
- April 25: Del Rey and Sleepy Hollow Open House, Minimum Day for SH and DR only, 12:20 p.m. dismissal
- April 25-27: OIS Bulldog Theater production of Footloose
- May 4: Rotary Field Day for students in grades 3-5 at Miramonte High School, 8:00 a.m. to 12 noon
- May 13: OUSD Board of Trustees Regular Meeting, 6:00 p.m.
- May 16: Board Coffee at Wagner Ranch, 8:15-9:15 a.m.
- May 16: Wagner Ranch Open House, Minimum Day for WR only, 12:20 p.m. dismissal
- May 23: Glorietta Open House, Minimum Day for GL only, 12:20 p.m. dismissal
- May 27: Memorial Day Holiday - No School
- May 30: OIS Open House, Minimum Day for OIS only, 1:05 p.m. dismissal
Please note that our
2019-2020 school calendar
has been revised to move elementary conference week to September 23-27, 2019. The
2020-2021 school calendar
is now available.
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2018-2019
OUSD Board School Assignments:
OIS: Jason Kaune
Del
Rey: Hillary Weiner
Glorietta: Carol Brown
Sleepy Hollow: Cara Hoxie
Wagner Ranch: Liz Daoust
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The Board of Trustees took the following actions at their April 15, 2019, regularly scheduled monthly meeting:
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Character Education April Focus: Trust
During April and May, schools across the District are focused on the character trait of Trust. We earn others' trust by creating a reputation for being honest, reliable, and caring. We emphasize the following behaviors that garner trust with students:
- Don't cheat, or lie.
- Be reliable and keep your promises.
- Do what you say you will do.
- Be a good friend and don’t betray a trust.
School site activities focused on Trust have included:
- Students talking about trusting themselves during an exercise about best test-taking strategies
- Students working with their buddies and being a trustworthy mentor to younger students
- Students continuing to be trustworthy as they stick up for their friends and reporting issues to their teachers or principal when friends are in trouble or unsafe.
Service Learning Benefitting Ponderosa Elementary School in the Paradise Unified School District
Orinda schools are focused on cultivating ethical and respectful citizens. Our mantra for the year is “What You Do Matters.” Over the past few weeks, many Orinda students have been engaged in a service learning project to support elementary students in Paradise who were victims of the Camp Fire. Through OrindaCares, a partnership with the nonprofit organization Mindful Littles, the City of Orinda, Miramonte High School, and with support from the Rotary Clubs of Paradise and Orinda, 1,600 of our Orinda students participated in making “peace kits” which helped provide Paradise students with tools to practice mindfulness and support their emotional wellness.
Read more
about this powerful service learning experience.
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Recap of "Raising an Upstander: Exploring Diversity through the Power of Stories and Books"
On Thursday, April 11, we were fortunate to have Jack Weinstein, a Senior Program Advisor for
Facing History and Ourselves
, present for OUSD parents on the topic of raising an upstander. Del Rey hosted this district-wide parent education event.
Read more
to gain access to the resources shared by Mr. Weinstein and learn more about his presentation.
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Glorietta is excited for its 5th graders, who attended their 4 day/3 night stay at Walker Creek Ranch this week.
Walker Creek Ranch
is an outdoor education camp that includes naturalists, hiking, evening programs, and cabin living. The diverse ecosystems available at the camp provide lots of opportunities for hands-on exploration and field study.
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Upcoming Events
:
- April 23: GPC General Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
- April 24: Family Math Mania Night, 6:00 p.m.
- April 29-May 17: CAASPP testing window
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Sleepy Hollow students and teachers returned from Spring Break rested and ready to get back to work. Sleepy Hollow started the week with a schoolwide assembly introducing the importance of being trustworthy, OUSD’s character trait for April.
Sleepy Hollow also held their first ever STEAM Expo last week. This was a three-day event, inviting students to work individually or in a group on a project of their choice and then bring it to show at the Expo. The Multi-Purpose Room and Science Lab were filled with over 90 projects on display!
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Upcoming Events:
- April 25: Minimum Day
- April 25: Open House 5-6 p.m. Picnic Dinner and Food Trucks. 6-7 p.m. Classrooms Open
- April 27: Parents Annual Party
- May 9: Math Night
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Wagner Ranch is getting “greener and greener.” Wagner Ranch’s lunch program has done away with single use water bottles, as well as plastic straws and utensils. Wagner Ranch is working hard to reduce food waste and has greatly increased on-campus composting. Wagner Ranch’s newly created Green Team facilitates these efforts. In late March, Resilience the Recycling Superhero came to Wagner Ranch and gave assemblies for our students that helped further educate and motivate them to reduce, reuse, and recycle both at school and at home.
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Upcoming Events
:
- April 26: Spring Coffee Connection with EFO Executive Director, Darcie Taylor, 8:00 a.m. (Art Room)
- April 28: Annual Wildlife Festival in the Wagner Ranch Nature Area
- May 11: Bike East Bay’s Family Cycling Workshop at Wagner Ranch
- May 18: Wagner Ranch Round Up! (Our Western themed carnival)
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OIS Leadership students eagerly stepped up to help with the OrindaCares project that launched at the end of March and culminated with last week's field trip to Durham, California. As part of the Peace Kits for Paradise project, OIS students visited the District's four elementary schools to assist with the assembly of the kits, which were designed to present students from Ponderosa Elementary School with messages of hope and compassion following the devastation from the Camp Fire. Six Leadership students dedicated an additional day to deliver the packages on April 9. It was truly a valuable opportunity for all involved as Orinda students and adults were able to contribute to another community while engaging in practices to support physical, social, and emotional well-being.
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Upcoming Events
:
- April 24: 8th Grade Panoramic Photo
- April 25-27: Bulldog Theater Presents: Footloose
- April 29: CAASPP testing begins
- May 3: 6th Grade Dance, 3:45-5:15 p.m.
- May 3: 7th/8th Grade Dance, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
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Del Rey has entered its busy season. Del Rey hosted its annual talent show this week. The talent show is always a fun event! The Del Rey Parents’ Club also hosted a wonderful Staff Appreciation this week, with a theme of Rolling Out the Red Carpet for the real stars, Del Rey’s teachers and staff.
Del Rey’s Open House will be held next Thursday, April 25. Open House will begin with a new shade sails ribbon cutting ceremony at 4:30 p.m., followed by a family picnic and food trucks at 5:00 p.m., and classroom visits beginning at 6:00 p.m. All families are welcome to see their students’ hard work on display!
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Upcoming Events
:
- April 24, 26-27: Aladdin Jr. Performances
- April 25: Minimum Day (TK-K 11:30 a.m. release; 1-5 12:20 p.m. release)
- April 25: Open House, 4:30-7:00 p.m.
- May 3: Walk-a-Thon, 9:45 a.m.
- May 6: All FORE Orinda Golf Tournament
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Hooray for Spring and sunshine! As we head into the final months of the school year, EFO is pleased to report that it is getting close to meeting the EFO fundraising goal for 2018-2019, but still needs everyone's support to maintain their commitment to OUSD for the current year. If you haven't made your contribution yet, please go to
EFO’s website
and donate today! Thank you to all who have already contributed - if everyone gives, everyone wins!
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