How to help your child copewith the Sandy Hook tragedy…….

“Unspeakable” was the headline in Saturday’s Chronicle; “WhoWould Do This to Our Poor Little Babies” was on the front page of the New YorkTimes.  We are all shocked anddeeply saddened by the terrible events at Sandy Hook School in Newtown,Connecticut.  And then come our ownconcerns----could this happen here? What can we do to prevent a similar event here.

The following information is to reassure you with regard to the District wide emergency plan of which we are a part.  We are well aware that we have a campus with many, manyaccess points.  We depend on ourstaff being alert to strangers who may appear on the campus without first checking in at the office and we re-direct them to do so.  We also have regular emergency drills, including lock downs,on a monthly basis.  Willow Creekis included in the Sausalito Marin City District emergency plan---here is thelink which describes various components of this plan:

http://www.smcsd.org/index.php/resources/emergencypreparedness

At this site, you will find a variety of resources,including some videos you can share with your child, as to how to act invarious emergency situations.

With regard to the events at Sandy Hook School, ourcounselor has emphasized that young students (K-2) be protected from theincessant coverage on radios, the internet and television channels which willonly increase the confusion that these youngsters are likely to experience.

To help your child sort out the concerns that he or shemight be experiencing, follow their lead. Let them ask you questions and answer them as simply as possible so asnot to heighten their concerns. Reassure them with a hug and a smile and guarantee that you and otheradults will always be around to protect them. 

Below are two links that may help you converse with yourchild and answer questions in a way that will comfort them (and you).

Resources for Copingwith Tragedy
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ss/cp/tragedy.asp

Talking with Kids about Violence:  Tips for Parents and Teachers
http://www.nasponline.org/resources/handouts/talkingviolence.pdf

When you return toschool on Monday, you will see business as usual.  However, teachers will be alert to students’ sensitivityto  concerns about what happened inConnecticut and be able to handle discussions with care.  If an individual student, or group ofstudents, appear to need extra support, we are arranging for that help to beavailable during the first few days of the coming week.

Also, take some timeto appreciate the moments you have with your children.  We certainly will be doing the samewhen we are back together again for the last week prior to vacation. 

May 11, 2012

Reflections on this year-----

As I think back upon all that has been accomplished this year at Willow Creek, I am struck by the many partnerships that have been so vital to our school’s success and vitality.   There is a range of working with large foundations as well as small businesses neighbors and our local governmental agencies.  Individuals have gone out of their way to connect the school’s students and staff to the bigger outside world in a variety of ways.  A few examples of this partnership web follow.  If you are involved with any of the people or groups mentioned, please give them a thank you for their hard work and support.

Let’s start with a very current example.  Yesterday, the 3^rd grade class walked over to La Hacienda restaurant at the north end of Bridgeway.  They were accompanied by their teacher,Anne Siskin and their Spanish teacher, Senora Bravo.  The students were so polite and so proud of ordering their lunch using their Spanish skills and also having lunch time conversations in Spanish, that the restaurant’s owner offered to set up a special program for Willow Creek which would allow him to donate a percentage of proceeds on given days during the next school year. Our students are our best ambassadors and thanks to them, we just created a new partnership with La Hacienda.

The Marin County School Volunteers have provided us with a constant stream of  talented and enthusiastic volunteers who work directly with students.  A prime example of a MCVS volunteer is Linden Berry who has become an integral part of our Upper School, teaching poetry to 5^th through 8^th graders.  You can enjoy a poetry reading she has organized for May 31^st at 4:15 PM at the Sausalito City Library, 420 Litho Street, Sausalito. 

A long standing partnership has been our relationship with the Sausalito Arts Festival Foundation. Through the years they have supported our arts program in various ways---sometimes providing the funding for an art teacher, other years assisting us with the acquisition of supplies and equipment.  This year, the Arts Festival is supporting our work with the Adobe Voices program for our Upper School---so one partnership is helping us develop a new relationship.

Mary Wirth, a first grade parent and Adobe employee,  provided the impetus for us to learn about the Youth Voices Curriculum and helped with the acquisition of free Adobe software.  The Sausalito Arts Festival Foundation has provided us with ten weeks of a visiting artist (a filmmaker) who is working with groups of students to find their voice using multi-media as their communication tool.

Two examples of very important partnerships come to mind which involve the City of Sausalito and related city organizations.  The Sausalito Historical Society has worked with our 3^rd grade class for the last three years to develop a very exciting set of experiences for our third grade students to learn about their local community.  To date the curriculum has focused on the downtown area but work is in progress to add a unit on the Marinship/Marin City history as well.  Working directly with the City ofSausalito, we have been fortunate to work with the City's  children’s librarian to create the beginnings of our library program.  In addition, our creek restoration project has brought several of our students to the Sausalito City Council meetings to share the students' work at the creek and help coordinate the work between the school community and local government agencies.

A new partnership which is just beginning, is our selection as a partner school with the Bay Area Discovery Museum’s Center for Childhood Creativity.  This partnership will be focusing on grades K-3.  It is anticipated that the Center will be providing our K-3staff with professional development workshops designed to support teachers in the unleashing of the natural creative potential in children.  More to come as this program develops.

And, as I think you are all aware, we have close ties with Youth in Arts, The Milagro Foundation and the Marin Community Foundation as we work to constantly improve and enrich our work with your students.

 Dates to Remember:

Tomorrow, Saturday,May 12^th.  Stories of an Undeclared War.  12:45 PM at

Wednesday, May 23^rd.  K-4 Open House from 6:30 to 8:00 PM

Wednesday, May 30^th,5-8 Open House from 6:30 to 8:00 PM

Monday, June 4^th,8^th Grade Commencement, 10:30 AM.  By invitation only

Wednesday, June 6^th,Crossing the Bridge, 10:30 AM in the Courtyard.  When this ceremony is concluded, school will be out for the year!

Wednesday, August 22^nd,  First day of the 2012-13 school year.

May 4, 2012

Looking Ahead---

Tomorrow, Saturday, May 5^th is our monthly work party.  There are lots of satisfying projects awaiting some TLC. We have chairs that need legs glued on (bring some clamps); a lock to remove from a door; some shelving to install, a small tree to remove from the garden, etc., etc., etc.  Come and work off some volunteer hours while having a good time with other WCA folks.

Two weeks from now, Saturday, May 12^th we have two new fund raising opportunities for Willow Creek.   If you can move quickly, you might be able to participate in both:  first, at 7:30 in the morning is The Human Race. There is still time to register for this county wide, non-profit fundraising opportunity and run a 5K or walk the same distance.  Your dog can also join you in this event which takes place up at the Marin Civic Center.

The second opportunity is to go the Cinemark Theater on Caledonia Street and enjoy a screening of Stories from an Undeclared War.  This documentary is the story of a high school teacher and her very challenging students who discovered the power of the written word.   The teacher and the film’s director will be available to answer questions after the filming.  I believe this will be of interest to anyone who cares about teaching and learning as well as middle school age students.  A flyer with the details is included in this packet.  $12 of every $15 ticket will be given to Willow Creek so we hope to fill all 100 seats.  Information is also on our website.

Two Open Houses are planned:  May 23^rd for grades K-4 and May 30^thfor grades 5-8.  Both will be from6:30 to 8:00 PM.  For those of you who are new to Willow Creek this year, you will be most impressed by the excitement that students show when they are sharing samples of their work and accomplishments from this year. It’s a great evening with projects, slide shows, concerts and performances in classrooms.  Come and enjoy.

You will find a letter in this packet from Mary Jane Burke congratulating you, our staff  and your students for Willow Creek’s being named an Title 1 Academic Achievement Award school for the second year in a row.  This means that all of our various groups of students showed substantial improvement in their 2011 STAR tests.  

Speaking of STAR tests, we started our testing this week for students in grades 2 through 8. Things are going smoothly right now, but it is very important that students be at school on time, well rested and well fed!   We work hard to provide your students with comfortable and quiet test taking environments and make sure that lots of exercise and fresh air follows each test taking period.    However, we need your help to insure they are rested and ready for the day.

This past week we had the pleasure of seeing both ends of our school strut their stuff.  On Wednesday evening, in the courtyard, our 8^th graders presented a truly moving performance of Shakespeare’s Macbeth.  Christine Samson, an 8^th grade parent, was the director, most ably assisted by Teri Alton, the 8^th grade homeroom teacher and 7/8^th grade English Language and Humanities teacher.  Students worked with Keith Williams, known as K-dub, their art teacher to create background sets and everyone pitched in to provide props and costumes, all hand made.  But the students,  presented this famous tragedy with such strength and understanding that I found myself with goosebumps.  I was so proud of the results of the hard work everyone put into this production---we need to remember how really capable our kids are not sell them short. It’s important to keep raising our expectations to help them begin to realize their potential.

As soon as the imaginary curtain fell on Macbeth, I darted down the hill to take in the kindergarten Cinco de Mayo celebration.  Sitting quietly on the floor, with smiles on their faces were about 25 kindergarteners waiting for Senora Bravo to hit a small chime and begin their vocal concert----all in Spanish!  For some 20 minutes or so, song after song, was enthusiastically shared with parents and other family members.  Talk about singing for your supper----they were terrific.  The potluck buffet prepared by families was also terrific.

And I couldn’t help but think how remarkable it is to see the entire road traveled from kindergarten to 8^th grade and appreciate how Willow Creek supports its children every step of the way from kindergarten to graduation 9 years later. Thank you for trusting us with your children----we are honored to be partners with you in this journey.

Have a great weekend. Hope to see you tomorrow at our work party.

Carol

March 9, 2012

From my Perspective……

This past week, thanks to a generous holiday gift by our Parent Council, I had the good fortune to attend this year’s Bay Area Discovery Museum’s Center for Childhood Creativity Forum.  The keynote speaker, Tina Seelig, was a wonderful guide as to how we might be able to nurture creativity in a school setting.  Ms. Seelig trained as a neuroscientist and currently teaches at Stanford in the School of Engineering, focusing on creativity and entrepreneurship.  Her talk, “InGenius:  Leversfor Unlocking Creativity", truly triggered my thinking about programs, curriculum and teaching approaches in some different ways.  I am hoping to obtain a copy of her talk in order to share it with our entire staff.

An example that she gave was the difference between asking a child to solve the following math challenge:  5 + 5  = ?  Easy, there is only one “right” answer which is 10.  But, think about the possibilities if one asks a young student to solve the following problem:  ? + ? = 10.  No automatic “right” answer---one has to think about context, why are you solving this problem, does it matter if the two ?s are equal or unequal?  This generates lots and lots of additional questions. Two very different ways of approaching what might appear to be the same problem.

She then went on to describe her work with the scientific process---we all know what that process is: hypotheses, testing, failing, going back to the beginning, collecting more data, etc. and eventually coming to some conclusion(s).  A very linear process with a beginning, a middle and an end.  Her point was, that there has been no codified “creativity” process.  She, however, put forth, her idea of an invention machine.  Her vision is that creative solutions to problems can start anywhere along a mobius strip and each section spurs and enriches other areas. The mobius strip consists of levers we can engage such as habitat, attitude, knowledge, and culture.   What she emphasized is that a creative mind can enter this process at any juncture depending upon the specific problem to be solved and how what solutions are developed will then engage the other areas of the machine and strengthen them.  What I found so engaging about this approach is that there is no beginning and no end.  Unlike the linear scientific process, using an endless loop provides us with constant ideas, information and skills.

 Forgive me if I am confusing you more than engaging you, but I suggest that we all get a copy of Ms. Seelig's  about to be published book, "InGenius:  Levers for Teaching Creativity".  We are all teachers of our community of learners (kids through adults) and I think we are being given a great opportunity here tos hape the learning in which we all participate every day.

 Carol

Friday, March 1, 2012

Yesterday, the third grade and I had a wonderful time scrambling eggs! Not just any eggs, but the first 13 eggs (they learned the term “bakers dozen”) that our chickens gave us.  We added spinach and kale from our garden to add some color and veggie power.

What was so rewarding for me was to be able to spend an hour or so really living and participating in the kind of cross-curricular, project based learning that I am so often describing for other people.

Our “big question” was how do we figure out how to distribute our scrambled eggs among 24 people so that everyone could share which led to a great 15 minute discussion on measurement---of eggs, of greens---how many ounces make a cup, a quart, etc. We guessed how much the volume our 13 eggs would create, etc.  Then came the big question---what do we do with those numbers?  And, since they had just started studying both division and fractions, it was determined that everyone could have 2 ounces of scrambled egg.  But…..as the greens were slowing cooking in the skillet,suddenly they were disappearing before our eyes, so would 2 ounces work?  After a discussion of water evaporating out of the greens due to the heat, it was decided that just under 2 ounces per person would work.

So, the eggs were cracked----some were double yolks, some were single yolks.  One student observed that no matter the size of the egg, the size of the yolks seemed to all be the same.  We discussed the beautiful golden color of the eggs as they were beaten and noted how air was included and that increased the volume---perhaps making up for the loss of volume in the greens so our measurement would probably produce a fair share of scrambled eggs for everyone.

The results were soon available----using our 2 oz. every one in the classroom had an equal or “fair” share of the eggs.  They were pronounced delicious, it was decided that the egg shells would be examined under a microscope to see if there was anything interesting left behind and then they would be composted to provide fuel for more kale or for the chickens to eat----I think we need to start referring to those big chickens as hens.  They deserve to be acknowledged as grownups.

If you have a third grader, please take the time to congratulate them on their great attitudes and demeanor in class.  They were curious, enthusiastic,gracious and caring.  I haven’t had such a good time in weeks---an outstanding group of kids.  It was rewarding to see the combination of math, science and nutrition all bundled up in a skillet and so beautifully consumed by the kids.

 Carol

Friday, January 27, 2012

Yesterday, I was trying to decide what to share with you in this letter and thinking out loud, I mumbled something about “what should I write” when a passing teacher, stopped and said….”well, what about our recycling project, the trout eggs, Macbeth in our courtyard, the arts professional development activity we did yesterday, how well our kids are doing settling playground disagreements, the intertwining of older and younger students in the classrooms…..and that was just one teacher!

So, I’ll take on a couple of these items today and perhaps over the next several weeks, share the others with you. I sometimes develop writer’s block because this is such a rich and colorful environment in which we teach and learn that it can be hard to focus on just one or two parts of this gigantic tapestry which is Willow Creek. This week I would like to share the professional development experience in which Willow Creek and District teachers came together to learn more about how to integrate visual arts into their core teaching.

We were given the following poem, a Langston Hughes work, Mother to Son:

Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor --
Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now --
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

Each of us received a copy of this poem with one line of the poem highlighted in yellow and told to create one page of a book: on the left side of the page we would write our line (mine was “And places with no carpet on the floor---“ and on the right side of the page, we were to create an image that we felt reflected the meaning and effect of that one line. The individual page was approximately 8½” x 22” so there was plenty of space in which to create. We had oil pastels, markers, colored pencils, a plethora of bits and pieces of paper, old magazines, scissors, glue sticks---all the messy goodies one finds in an art studio---and we went to town. At the end of the hour, our pages were laid, one after the other, to re-create the poem and extend its meaning with visual accents. Talk about a powerful statement---each page done in its unique style, reflecting its maker and yet, somehow, they all came together.

I could only imagine what a teacher could do with this truly simple exercise in a classroom: poetry, dramatic pieces, science study outlines, song lyrics, could be used for our students to create their books. They can explain why they chose the colors they did, the shapes they used, the medium they selected. What a way to learn. What a great example of cooperative work. What excitement can be created from putting individual pages together to share a thought or tell a story.

It will be exciting to see how this activity is worked into our curricula. Let me know if your student comes home describing how he or she helped create a book!

I am sure you all hear a lot of good things about Coach Sierra. Sierra Lloyd is our Playworks miracle worker. In a few short months, her working with all of our students has led to a big turnaround in what happens during recess. Our arguments and hurt feelings which, unfortunately, in past years have been so often the results of disagreements over 4 square rules or who goes next at the tether ball or basketball fouls. From the students’ perspective, Coach Sierra is teaching them all kinds of new games they can play; from my perspective she is teaching them how to resolve disagreements and conflicts----the most popular solution is “Rock, Paper, Scissors”! That has become the playground mantra. I am sure that those of you who have been at Willow Creek for several years cannot help but notice the positive change at recess time from years past. There are so many groups playing a variety of games on the driveway and the basket ball courts that it is sometimes difficult to make your way up the road. And rather than taunts and put downs you hear many more laughs and cheers. Sierra is outside all day long. Not only does she actively organize activities at recess, she also works with each class, K-8, once a week to further help the students develop conflict management skills. She works with Junior Coaches who get to wear bright green Playworks shirts while they help various aspects of recess. She can also provide a parent training if we can muster enough parents who want to help out at recess times. Let me know if you would like to celebrate spring by spending some of your time at recess. 

 So, that’s two items from the list. More to come next week.

December 2, 2011

From where I sit…….

Looking out my window this morning, I am amazed to realize that this is December---the deep blue sky, the giant pine tree and its neighbor, the tall majestic palm tree, remind me again just how lucky I am to be here, in this place we call Willow Creek. Our connection with the outdoors is so important to the feeling and culture of Willow Creek Academy.

Enough of my reflecting and now on to some of the important information for the next several weeks:

• The last day of school prior to the winter break is Friday, December 16^th.

• We have completed the first trimester of this school year and report cards will be mailed during the week of December 5^th

• Tomorrow, Saturday, December 3^rd is our monthly Saturday work day. There is lots of weeding to be done, but the really exciting project will be building a moveable chicken run for the garden. Our chickens are really, really big and we need to be able to safely give them some exercise! Heidi Burns will be leading this project and I can’t wait to see the process.

• You will find notices of Little League sign-ups and a notice that Santa Claus will be at the Sausalito Yacht Club tomorrow.

• The 8^th graders are compiling a cookbook of your favorite recipes to sell in order to support their Yosemite trip at the end of the school year. However, right now, they don’t have any recipes. Lisa Boyd-Goodrich is the parent in charge of this endeavor and she is asking that we all send two or three of our very favorite recipes to be include in this cookbook. I, for one, think this is a great project as many of my favorite recipes come from this kind of a collection. Please, bring in your recipes or email them directly to Lisa at tweetyboyds@att.net. Sheand the 8^th grade class really need all of our help to pull this off.
  

Have a great weekend and enjoy this unexpected sunshine and warmth.

November 18, 2011

Last night’s talent show demonstrated how much we have to be thankful for as we approach our Thanksgiving holiday:

Our children demonstrated courage, kindness and self-confidence as they shared their many talents with us all. I was so impressed and proud of all of the students who were at the show, both those who participated and got up on the stage to perform and those in the audience who were receptive and enthusiastic and courteous towards their classmates.

I was particularly impressed with our 7^th and 8^th grade master and mistress of ceremonies who managed the flow of the show and kept things on an upbeat note---even when the CD player got stuck and the microphones lost their energy.   The way they helped younger students on and off the stage and filled in those intermediate moments with “waves” and hand clapping was just perfect. So to George, Rachael and Adella—thank you for doing such a great job!

As you enjoy your week of thanksgiving, please don’t forget about those who are in need and when you return on November 28^th bring some canned and/or packaged goods to be put in our food barrel. We have a large receptacle waiting for the pounds of food that I know we can collectively provide---it is in the main office area of the 33 Buchanan building. You can also bring food stuffs to your child’s classroom.

This marks the end of the first trimester and that means report cards will be coming forth in the next two weeks. We plan to mail the report cards out to you the first week of December. If you have concerns when you receive your child’s grades, please do not hesitate to contact their teacher(s) and set up a conference so you learn how you might help them be more successful in the future.

At the November 16^th Willow Creek Board meeting, the Board discussed the possibility of adding a 3^rd kindergarten class in the 2012-13 school year. The Board decided to put this topic on the agenda for the December 14^th Board Meeting and is very interested in parent and staff opinion regarding this idea.   So, if you have thoughts, ideas, concerns, suggestions, please feel free to email or write the Board and also attend the December 14^th WCA Board meeting.   It is the Board’s plan to make a decision regarding adding a 3^rd kindergarten class at the December 14^th meeting.

Have a great week.

Carol

Friday, November 4^th

Welcome to the rainy season! Please make sure your student(s) are appropriately dressed for the rainy and blustery weather. Write names inside jackets, sweaters, boots and sweatshirts as these items are often removed and rarely get returned due to a lack of names. And….if your child is in 3^rd grade or lower, please make sure they have a change of clothes with them throughout the winter and spring---it can get really muddy on the fields, and although we do our best to keep kids off the grassy areas, it can be difficult as mud has a particularly enticing quality for little kids. 

As we approach the holiday season, we will be collecting food for the Marin Food Bank. Thanks to Alise Perez’ efforts, we hope to have the entire school participate in filling up multiple barrels for the Food Bank. Dry goods and canned foods are what the Food Bank needs to share with those Marin families who need help feeding their loved ones. Please be generous---we expect to have the barrels delivered sometime next week and will probably be placing one in each commons room---that would be portable 3 and Room 24. In the past we have been able to collect more than 1000 pounds of food---let’s see if we can double that since we are such a much larger school than in the past.

Speaking of holidays…..School is not in session on Friday, November 11^th in order to honor our veterans. Willow Creek has the opportunity to honor veterans, and the Tuskegee Airmen in particular, by joining the Marin City Parade on Saturday, November 12^th. We will be marching, carrying a Willow Creek Banner and I welcome you all to participate. We will be gathering at the Recreation Center in Marin City between 10:30 and 11:00. The parade will start at 11. Participants can stay for a community barbecue as well as a viewing of Lucasfilms “Double Victory”. One can also just walk in the parade and leave when the parade is concluded. Please come and represent Willow Creek.

As many of you are aware, school will not be in session the week of November 21^st through 25^th to get ready for and then celebrate Thanksgiving.   We then return for three weeks of hard work prior to the big winter holiday, December 17^th through January 2, 2012.

We have almost concluded our first trimester of this school year. Procedures and routines appear to be solidly in place in all of our classes.   Students are working hard and hopefully this will be reflected in the report cards you will be receiving the first week in December. If you have concerns about your child’s progress, please take the time to meet with his/her teacher(s). It is important to catch things early that might be interfering with students’ learning. 

I hope that the rain won’t scare everyone away, but we do have an all campus work day scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, November 5^th. Come to school around 9:30 or so and see how you can help make the campus even better for your student. If you choose to work in the garden, you can get a lesson on how to take good care of 3 chickens, who are now living in their special coop in the garden. We hope to have not only great vegetables in the garden, but also fresh eggs in a few months.

By coming on Saturday, you will also get to see our new Back Yard as I like to call it. We were allowed to start walking on the turf this week, and in just a couple of days, Senora Bravo was holding Spanish class outside; Coach Dave was having PE out there, and many, many students were busy drawing all sorts of lovely chalk pictures and diagrams on the cement “track”. We are also working with creating a hanging garden on a section of fence.   It consists of a series of wooly pockets which we are currently filling with soil and then we will plant them with both vegetables and flowers. We are quite excited to see how well our vertical garden will do.

Have a cozy and warm weekend……and don’t forget to turn your clocks back an hour. Fall back and spring forward-----this is my favorite weekend of the year as that elusive hour returns. 

Carol

October 28, 2011

Welcome to a weekend filled with ghosts and goblins; tricks and treats.  Bayside’s principal,Jonnette Newton, and I decided to celebrate Halloween early with a Friday afternoon parade followed by a good old fashioned scary concert, courtesy of Mr. Luther.

Sausalito Parks and Rec is having their usual Pumpkin Walk parade on Monday, October 31^st.  This wonderful parade will be held starting around 6 PM on Caledonia Street in downtown Sausalito.  It is open to children of all ages---and there is always a great spread of little babies in their decked out strollers and a collection of those of us who really know better, but can't resist the pull of Halloween, and everyone in between.

Our Harvest Festival last weekend was great fun, thanks to the small army of volunteers who organized and implemented the day’s activities.   Necklaces were being made; faces painted; lemonade drinks individually created; amazing lego vehicles surfaced and of course, the jumpy house and obstacle course.  Even the weather cooperated!

We are trying to focus on two, very different areas of our school culture and need your help with both of these challenges.

Our first concern is the need for everyone to be here prior to the 8:15 A.M. start time.  I know that 5 or 10 minutes might seem immaterial in the broad scheme of things,but if you multiply 10 minutes times 4 or 5 days of being late in a week and then think about the fact that the total school year consists of 175 days, you begin to see the amount of instructional time that your child misses.  Please, get up 10 minutes earlier, or get your kids out the door 10 minutes earlier.  We have people coming from the East Bay and North Bay who are almost always here by 8 AM----while so many of us who live right here in Sausalito or Marin City are late. I know you can all get to school on time.

The second issue I want to address is that of bullying.  We have had many complaints of bullying incidents and again, we need your help to reduce and hopefully, eliminate,bullying at Willow Creek.  We provide a variety of anti-bullying measures from counseling one on one to class meetings to solution teams to discussing the difference between bullying and other annoying forms of mis-behavior.   Please help us in several ways:  let us know if your child is complaining about being bullied and help support your child in reporting bullying that he or she observes at school. Also, take the time to explore with your child, ways in which he or she can avoid being either a bully or a victim.  We are working hard to ameliorate all of the bullying and can’t do it alone.  We do need your help.

Just in case you need a couple of volunteer opportunities, Saturday,October 29^th is Creek Clean Up Day.  Bring your family to help clear and also plant at Willow Grove, the corner of Nevada and Bridgeway Streets.  It will be a hive of activity from 9 AM to Noon and the creek needs a good clean up prior to the winter. 

Saturday, November 5^th is our next all campus clean up/gardening day.  We have all kinds of tasks from sweeping porches to installing locks. If you choose to work in the garden, you will be able to enjoy the lovely sounds of our newly installed chickens.  We are leaving them in their fancy chicken coop for a little while, but hope to have them wander around the garden eating bugs and other critters. 

Our next holiday is Veteran’s Day which is celebrated on Friday, November 11^th. No school on that day.  On Saturday, November 12^th, Willow Creek has been invited to march inthe Veteran’s Day parade in Marin City. Come and join us honor the contributions made by the Tuskegee Airmen inWorld War II.

Another very exciting event is coming up---our 2^ndAnnual Talent Show will be held Thursday, November 17^th in the early evening.  We are teaming up with Bayside to do a joint talent show. Please encourage your child/children to come up with a presentation, a song, a dance routine, etc. and show off their talents.  Last year’s show was the hit of theyear.    If you have a question, call Vivian Balderas at 331-7530x212.

Have a great weekend. Hope to see you at Willow Grove helping out our namesake creek!

 Carol