September 23, 2020
Issue 7
|
|
Dear Fisher Families,
As you know, the Fisher Team has been hard at work, analyzing survey data, considering staff and family input and assessing our school schedule. Thus, with careful consideration of all of the survey data provided and input from Fisher faculty, Fisher will be soon implementing the following action steps:
- Asynchronous (Independent) work will be posted for students, in their Google Classrooms by 8:30 am each school day.
- Standardized expectation for live Zoom time: During each live 45 minute Zoom session, teachers and students will remain “on” for a minimum/standardized time.
- Parent Education: Plans are being put together to offer parents information and strategies to navigate the remote learning environment with their student.
- Clubs-We have been actively advertising the opportunity for student and teacher club formation to increase social interaction opportunities for students.
- Study Hall-Within the next two weeks, students will be offered the opportunity to attend a supervised Zoom study hall. More details will be shared in next week’s Fisher Flyer.
There are additional components that we are considering. Should any additional amendments be made, families will be notified via the Fisher Flyer.
School Advisory Council
Under the expert guidance and organization of Deborah Johnson, we held our first School Advisory Council meeting last week. This Council includes a diverse group of staff, parents and teachers. I would like to thank all of our members: Clare Vickers, Paul Brennan, Tracy Calimquim, Shelley Gage, Ashley Himan, Kelly Matthews, Alana Mercer, Lisa Mitchell, Vanessa Nabokov, Maria Pulizzano, Jolie Rutledge, Kristie Mullikin, Chris Barbara, Elisabeth Brown, Patty Charles, Julie Cheng, Ben Goldman, Karin Luton, Suzanne Nestor, Whitney Patterson, Michael Santoro, Melanie Wendt, Heather LeRoy (HSC Rep), Heather Ramirez (HSC Parliamentarian), and Deborah Weinstein (LGEF Director). We had a robust conversation on a variety of topics including the Fisher remote schedule and the current “Red Zone” status of Santa Clara County. Our agenda and meeting minutes are available on the Fisher website.
Thank you, all, for your continued support and patience around the changing landscape. Your continued input and support are greatly appreciated.
Take care and stay well.
Sincerely,
Mary Lonhart
Principal
|
|
IMPORTANT SCHEDULE CHANGE!
PLEASE REVIEW AND TAKE NOTE
|
|
October 5th=Non Student Day for Professional Development
This has changed from our previous Monday holiday week.
- Monday, October 5 - No school
- Tuesday, October 6 - A Day
- Wednesday, October 7 - B Day
- Thursday, October 8 - A Day
- Friday, October 9 - B Day
Our next adjusted schedule will be the week of December 14, 2020 to allow for the Friday, 12.18.20 non-student day, just before Winter Break.
Please remember going forward to always check the Fisher Website for any changes to our A-B-C scheduled days.
|
|
HOME & SCHOOL CLUB GENERAL MEETING |
|
FISHER HOME & SCHOOL CLUB
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
SEPTEMBER 23, 2020
6:00 - 7:00PM
Please join us for our first H&SC open membership meeting of the school year. We will be voting on this year's H&SC board and the budget for the 2020-2021 school year.
The budget and the list of board candidates will be posted on our website the Friday before the meeting.
If you wish to attend the meeting, please REGISTER by 5pm Wednesday, September 23.
A Zoom link will be sent to all who have registered.
Since our vote will be via Zoom, we will have a proxy on the website that you can download and email to our secretary, Heather Regoli, prior to the meeting.
If you have any questions regarding this process or the H&SC, please contact Heather LeRoy, H&SC President, at president@fisherhsc.org.
|
|
Curbside pick-up from Fisher is open!
Curbside pick-up from the Fisher Library is available on Wednesday afternoons from 2-3 pm and Friday mornings from 8-9 am. Browse the Alexandria catalog for all the books the Fisher Library has to offer, then put your choices on hold for curbside pickup each week! This video will show you how to find and request books for curbside pickup.
You can also borrow e-books from the Fisher Library (and the Santa Clara County library system) using Sora. Check the library website for more information.
|
|
Fisher Clubs are back!
We will be updating you on club meetings and new clubs as they start their schedules
Book Club
Want to read and talk about some awesome books, and meet new friends who want to do the same? Join one of the Fisher Book Clubs, which are starting up in September and will meet Wednesdays at lunch time (via Zoom for right now)! Fill out the Google Form if you are interested in finding out more. Thanks to Sally Moiseff for being the Moderator for this club!
Wednesdays @ 12:15
Cartooning Club meets every Friday and will be moderated by our own amazing teachers Mrs. Barton and Mr. Waste. Kids will submit cartoons to be discussed by the group for positive reinforcement.
Fridays @ 3:00 p.m.
Book Writing Club will be held on Fridays during lunch. Join us for a virtual club to write together and work on bringing your imagination to life through prose! A huge shout out to Mrs. Hogan for moderating.
Fridays 12:15 - 1:15PM
Google Classroom Code: 6mymuyk
Please keep an eye out as new clubs will be starting soon!
|
|
Bringing education and resources in support of Project Cornerstone initiatives
to Los Gatos Families
Keep Your Bucket Full Series from Parenting Continuum
“I used to be so resilient,” confides C-suite executive and mother of a 2nd grader. “All balance is gone. We’re just in survival mode” confesses project manager and father of 7th and 9th graders. “I’m exhausted. Now I am expected to be a teacher, executive assistant, IT support, chef, cleaner, friend, and mom.” shares mother of 4 school age kids spanning elementary, middle, and high school. Conversation after conversation with stellar leaders, role models, and parents all grappling with the same issue.
Grace and grit alone are not cutting it.
In this series, we will explore how to keep your bucket full as a parent during unprecedented times. In the Los Gatos/Monte Sereno Community, we are familiar with this concept of “being a bucket filler”.
Every time you focus on positivity (empathy, gratitude, curiosity, joyful creativity, calm, etc.) you fill your bucket. And every time you focus on negativity (stress, anxiety, frustration, anger, disappointment, shame, guilt, etc.), the bucket is depleted. When you have a full bucket, you respond and make choices that feel more like “the real you”. You are being the best version of yourself even when times are hard. But when the bucket is low, you respond in ways that hurt yourself, hurt others, and often make the situation worse instead of better. If you have noticed that your bucket feels lower than usual, here’s why.
Your bucket may be drained more frequently. Consider where you spend your time, what you see, what you hear, and what you discuss. You may be spending more time worrying (and at times even obsessing) about topics like your children’s education, the pandemic, social issues, political differences, and difficulties with work or finances. This is a sign that your bucket is being depleted more quickly.
Your bucket may not be filled in the same ways. Think of those things that bring you joy like dinner with a friend, yoga class, browsing a bookstore, swimming, taking a hike, travel, etc. You may not be doing them as frequently or at all. If you are, you may have needed to modify them like wearing a mask on your hike, doing yoga over Zoom, or assessing the health-and-safety risks of a location before a social-distance visit. Chances are you may be doing less of them and when you are, they may not fill your bucket at the same rate.
Your bucket may not be getting from or giving to your network in the same way. Consider a time in your life when you were having a tough time coping— moving, job loss, new baby, ended relationship, death in the family. Your friends and family leaned in to boost you up and add to your bucket. And you do the same for them. They may not be adding to your bucket and you might not be adding to theirs at the same rate. We are in this together.
About the Author: Erin McAuley is a leadership expert and change coach trained in neuroscience and positive intelligence (PQ). She coaches working parents, leaders, and teams to thrive in the now and achieve their “what’s next”. She and her husband Jeff live in Monte Sereno with their 2nd and 3rd grader who are attending virtual school at home. “Our kids are constantly teaching us lessons in self-discovery and change agility.” www.bechange.coach
|
|
LGUSD COUNSELING: SEL FOR PARENTS |
|
Fisher Yearbooks on Sale NOW!
Buy NOW before prices go up!
Click HERE to get your HISTORIC Yearbook!
|
|
STUDENT RESIDENCY QUESTIONNAIRE/AFFIDAVIT |
|
We are conducting a residency census to ensure that all of our students have access to the services to which they are entitled. Please see the attached document. If your answer to the first question is "no", please complete the form and send it to the district office, care of Sarah Tellez, stellez@lgusd.org This will enable us to provide the appropriate support to you and your family.
|
|
FREE breakfast and lunch services will be extended through December 31, 2020. Drive thru service will be offered at R.J. Fisher Middle School.
Hours for pick-up Monday to Friday
Breakfast at 8am
Lunch at 12pm
All meals are free to those 18 and under
regardless of income.
Good news! Ken's Top Notch Produce has agreed to donate organic fruits and vegetables after the Sunday Los Gatos Farmers Market to LGUSD. Through the help of our wellness committee and food service staff we are able to preserve, clean and package this fruit on Sundays and Mondays. This allows us to provide a package of free organic fruits and vegetables to those who participate in our food programs. For those interested they will be available, while supplies last, with our meals on Mondays. Come participate at the Fisher drive through meal pickup.
|
|
STUDENT VOLUNTEERISM AT FISHER |
|
Over the years, volunteerism has been an important component of our Fisher culture as it is a gateway asset builder in children. As such, R.J. Fisher Middle School has had a program in place encouraging our students to volunteer during their middle school tenure. In the past, we have asked students to strive for sixty hours of volunteer hours by the time that they are promoted to high school. However, during this time of COVID, our administration has decided to place this program on hold. Once we are back to some sense of normalcy, our students can continue to work on building a foundation for a lifetime of commitment to volunteerism. Please note that we will not expect our students to have fulfilled all sixty hours. Our goal is to encourage our students to give back to our Los Gatos community as well as others.
A huge shout out goes to our volunteer coordinator, Lee Ann Wade, who has dedicated years of volunteerism to Fisher. Thank you for modeling and serving!
|
|
REMOTE LEARNING ATTENDANCE |
|
Please contact Fisher Attendance for any of the following reasons during remote learning:
- Your student cannot log into class — email the teacher and Fisher Attendance immediately.
- Your student was delayed logging into class.
- Your student is absent, at an appointment, or leaving class early.
Be sure to provide the student’s full name and reason that s/he is absent or leaving class early. This will help us accurately track attendance.
Please note: After 72 hours, any absence that has not been confirmed by a parent will be considered an unexcused absence.
Attendance Line: 408-335-2385
Thank you,
Molly and Nancy, Fisher Attendance Office
|
|
When you have questions and concerns about your specific student... we have awesome people to help! Please contact the appropriate person for your student:
Important Fisher Information Documents, including FAQs and Understanding Your Student’s Schedule, can be found in the FISHER WELCOME PACKET.
Watch our LGUSD District Meetings live to learn more about what goes on in our district. The schedule, agendas, and teleconference links for both regular and special board meetings are located via LGUSD.
Chromebook Reminder
All Fisher students should be using an LGUSD-provisioned Chromebook. Students using devices other than the district-provisioned Chromebooks seem to be experiencing technical difficulties that we are unable to support. Here is the link for requesting a loaner Chromebook: 6-8 Chromebook Loaner Request Form
Want to help your student navigate google classroom?
|
|
Never miss an important date!
|
|
 |
UPCOMING EVENTS
-
9/23 Fisher H&SC Board Meeting, Open to membership, 6:00-7:00 PM, Teleconference
- 10/5 Professional Development Day, No classes
- 10/21 School Advisory Council, 5:00 - 6:30PM, Teleconference
|
|
|
|
A - B - C DAYS
SCHEDULE
INFORMATION
All daily school schedule information (A, B, or C days) can be found on the RJ Fisher Middle School website and on their full calendar.
Please reference these sites for the most up-to-date and accurate schedule information.
|
|
|
|
RJ Fisher Middle School
19195 Fisher Avenue, Los Gatos, CA 95032
Mary Lonhart, Principal
Phone: 408-335-2300 | Attendance Line: 408-335-2385
|
|
Fisher Home and School Club
Contact and make submissions to the Fisher Flyer editor at communications@fisherhsc.org
The Fisher Flyer is approved by Principal Mary Lonhart and the H&SC Board
to provide pertinent information weekly to the Fisher community.
The Fisher Flyer is written exclusively to provide the Fisher Community with school information. Articles, information, calendars, etc., may not be duplicated or re-printed in any manner without the permission of the Fisher Home and School Club or the RJ Fisher Middle School administration.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
