News

It's time to turn in your Box Tops before summer as some are due to expire over the break.

You can turn them into the office drop box or your student's teacher. They don't have to be on a Box Tops collection sheet. Empty Box Tops collection sheets can be returned as well to be recycled for submission. Whatever is easiest for you and I'll take care of the rest!

As of right now we have $35.50 to mail in before summer. All money raised from Box Tops is used by the school for our PE program and many other wonderful projects.

Continue to collect over the summer. Box Tops can be found on many snack items and summer road trip and vacation items. Ask friends and family to save for Central Park. They add up fast. 

Thank you everyone!

Katie Curtis  (Coordinator)

Getting ready for a road trip?

Need to get your kids ready for summer camp?

Maybe you just need to stock up on everyday supplies.

Remember to use Central Park Steam Amazon Smile link to raise money while buying the things you need. Share our link with friends and family. 

Money raised goes to help support Central Park's many educational programs and teachers.

https://smile.amazon.com/ch/90-1137976

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The district is seeking input on how folks feel about communication across the district. We would appreciate it if you would complete this brief survey so that we can improve our practices. Thanks so much!

https://schoolcommunication.typeform.com/to/LtMZzU

Ms. Miakje Kamstra

Principal

Ms. Jennifer has a DonorsChoose project up "Sprouting Garden Skills" for professional development to develop gardening!

My Project

Students at my school will benefit from my professional development at the Edible Schoolyard training. I will learn the skills needed in order to teach farm to table lessons. I will learn to integrate curriculum, provide hand-on learning and best practices for teaching in the garden.

The Academy will teach me how to engage in conversations around race, gender, power and privilege.

This training will also help me to build a sense of community at our school as our garden will be used by all students. It will give us an opportunity to appreciate our food and know where it came from.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As our year comes to close next week, I want to say that we have had a wonderful year at Central Park Elementary. While still in our infant stages, we have accomplished so much in our two years!

We could not have done this without all of you who have enriched the education of our students through your donations to PTA, serving on councils and committees, the book fair, volunteering in classrooms, the garden, founding and participating in the Robotics Booster Club, chaperoning students on fieldtrips, sharing your expertise with students, reading in classrooms, teaching ukulele, volunteering at community events and the list goes on! We truly are a community and we so appreciate your support. 

On June 11th you will see an updated website. The district's goal is to standardize the look and format of websites across the district. I want to thank our Webmaster, Tesin Dosch. for all of her work on this transition and making sure we are 508 compliant (ensuring access for people with disabilities). https://www.section508.gov/content/learn

When the new website is live, you will see a survey that we encourage you to participate in, as we value your feedback.

The next (8) days we have a number of activities and schedule adjustments, so please note the following:

Friday, June 1st: 

Dismissal: 1:37pm

Project Cornerstone Reader Celebration:1:45pm (Thank you to all of our Readers and to Therese Inkmann for leading the way these past two years)! 

Wednesday, June 6th:

Dismissal: 1:37pm

Talent Show

Part One: 9:30am-10:10am

Recess: 10:10am-10:30am

Part Two: 10:30am-11:15am

Thursday, June 7

Dismissal: 1:37pm (please notify your daycare providers/bus pick-ups)

Friday, June 8 (Last Day of School)

Dismissal: 12:30pm  (please notify your daycare providers/bus pick-ups)

Report cards go home

Thursday, August 16

New School Year Begins! 

Please see district calendar attached for the 2108-2019 school year. We will send out the CP important dates this summer. Please remember that EVERYONE will need to come in before school begins to prove residency. We will send out those dates/times as soon as possible.

Finally,

Thank you to our incredible staff for the tireless devotion and passion on behalf of our kids every day. 

Wishing everyone a wonderful closing of the year!

Ms. Kamstra 

Ms. Miakje Kamstra

Principal

Central Park Elementary Community,

As we wind up a wonderful academic year--- we invite you to provide the PTA with feedback and guidance on what community events and fundraisers you want to see next year!  The PTA Board is interested in hearing your opinions on activities that you want to see again and hear ideas for new events and/or fundraisers.

Please use the link below to take a short 5 question survey.  

We ask that you complete the survey by Friday, June 9th.  

Responses will be anonymous unless you choose to provide your name and email address.

https://goo.gl/forms/EgCagLmNVEOWvpyz2

The information gathered will help inform next year's PTA Board as they create the Program of Events that the PTA will support in 2018-2019.   If you have any difficulty with the link--- please email centralparkpta2016@gmail.com 

Thank you!

Central Park Elementary PTA Executive Board

Ms. Kamstra was awarded the "District Admin of the Year"! Here are some wonderful words from Team Chameleon about what an amazing person Ms. Kamstra is:

Is highly competent:   

Our school opened nearly 2 years ago under the direction of our nominee. Her selection as founding principal, her vision, and the drive to start a school and see it come to life are examples of her high level of competence. She attends professional development alongside her staff and on her own. She stays up-to-date on the latest research in education, pedagogy, and child development (see below). She is involved at the district level through her collaboration with other principals, her position on the negotiating team, and her ongoing work with facilities and bond as she sees our construction project through and guides others (primarily Agnews) through the process of developing additional new schools to meet the needs of a fast-growing community. Her thoughtfulness and dedication provide a work environment that is supportive of the passions and needs of all her certificated and classified staff.

Keeps abreast and updates knowledge in his/her field:   

Not only is she a stellar principal, but she also keeps current on pedagogy, attending professional development that is in line with the needs of the staff and the vision of our school. In the year before our school opened, our leader devoured mountains of research on best practices in pedagogy, including blended learning, flexible learning environments, student-centered learning, and Project-Based Learning, developing the vision for our journey. Along with most of our staff, she attended summer training  in PBL (year 1) and Responsive Classroom (year 2), and she was a member of the first administrator cohort at the STEAM/PBL practicum at Bullis Charter School. Subsequently she sent the entire staff to the teacher cohort of the practicum the following year and held down the fort while every teacher was off campus for 9 days of training throughout the year. In addition to her copious reading, much of her knowledge comes from her superpower, which is listening to, supporting, and trusting the teachers she leads. In our second year, we have 5 teachers participating in the Tech Fellowship, 3 teachers on the district Math Leadership team, and a representative from each grade level on our Listening and Learning team, which she initiated to allow staff input into critical school issues and to ensure a voice to all members of staff.            

Is an outstanding administrator, certificated or classified employee:                   

Our leader arrives at school early and leaves late. She takes genuine interest in the lives of her staff, knowing the names of each of our spouses and children. Her door is always open for her staff, both when there is a problem she can help solve by listening and coaching, or when we have a joy we want to share. If a need arises, she is available by text or email with an almost instant reply. She visits our classrooms at least once weekly, is out at yard duty every recess and lunch, and knows the name of every student on campus (and most of the parents as well).  She knows and is supportive of staff members’ passions and does what she can to assist us in bringing those into the classroom. When she enters a classroom, teachers do not feel like they are being observed or critiqued. She values the professionalism of her staff and makes that value known any chance she gets. She walks her own truth, dealing with every person she meets--student, staff member, parent, colleague--with integrity and care.

Is dedicated to the job, loyal to school and the district/Contributes to district programs by serving on committees/Is highly respected by peers:   

In addition to her long hours serving the students, families, and staff at our school, this nominee has served on every committee that the district offers her, including: the Agnews development,  interview committees, the district bargaining team, and the Labor-Management partnership. She sought the opportunity and then dedicated a whole year to the planning and vision of our school. Other principals in the district, as well as people in district leadership, have the utmost respect for her, and she numbers many of these folks among her friends. She welcomes board members, the superintendent, and other district leaders to our school. Each year as open enrollment begins, we have numerous parent tours, and she patiently answers parent questions and proudly shows off the gifts of the teachers on her staff. She is incredibly supportive of every staff member;  when problems arise, she handles situations with dignity and grace. Parents and our greater school community find her approachable and non-judgmental. In a multicultural area, our leader has created a culture of inclusion, recognizing that “it takes a village” to care for our children. On our staff, no one is greater or less; our custodians, administrative staff, and paraeducators work alongside our teaching staff to make a difference in the lives of our children, and that is all thanks to her vision and her ongoing work to make it a reality. Within the district, she has enlisted community support and students from other schools, building connections with middle- and high-school teachers including the art teacher, woodshop teacher, and sign language teacher at Santa Clara High School. She promoted our participation in the Career-Technical Education path by connecting our garden committee and its vision with students and teachers in the district’s culinary programs and with gardening groups at other district schools.

Is consistent in performance above and beyond job requirements/Models correct examples to students and fellow workers:                           

Our principal leads by example. Professionally, she models what she expects  in her employees, and we strive to be like her. She is scrupulously conscious of everyone’s time, being concise and clear in meetings and providing information in written form by text or e-mail so that we can spend meeting time collaborating as a whole staff and in our grade-level teams. For her, relationships come first: colleagues’ relationships with her and with each other, teachers’ relationships with their students, and students’ relationships with each other are given constant opportunities to grow. She performs every administrative task with fidelity and integrity--SST and IEP meetings, disciplinary interactions with students, and teacher observations, to name a few. She follows up, she follows through, and she checks in. Her founding vision was to make JOY the core value of our school, and she truly makes it a happy place for all stakeholders. She makes sure that our souls are nurtured as well as our minds and that everyone feels welcome. Our school currently has nine student teachers, and several members of our classified staff have begun the credentialing process, demonstrating that our leader makes teaching a truly remarkable and inspiring career. With students, she uses interactive modeling of expectations. When out on the playground (in other words, during every student break), her voice is always calm, she is always mindful of doing the right thing, and--as is central to our school vision--she allows students voice and choice, collaborating with them in developing our school rules.

Works for the betterment of students and staff/Gives service to school, district and/or community:

Our leader promotes leadership within grade levels and within students, engaging students in solidifying our school rules as mentioned above. This year, she has instituted weekly school-wide morning meetings as we continue to roll out the tenets of Responsive Classroom at our school, creating a more cohesive community and allowing opportunities for student leadership. She checks in daily with students after morning walk, right at the start of the day. She has been instrumental in starting our PTA. She constantly seeks new opportunities for after-school and recess activities, such as sports, chess, and a variety of arts and robotics classes. She works with our webmaster to make sure that our website is up-to-date and is used as a primary school-parent communication tool, following up with weekly e-mails. She makes sure staff is updated weekly on upcoming meetings, professional development, and other school events. Our leader continues our site’s participation in the annual Santa Clara Art and Wine festival. She has encouraged parents to contribute such new traditions as family game nights and Comedy Sportz. She attends every school site council and PTA meeting, and she attends and is engaged at every IEP and leads SST meetings in a positive, team-oriented way, both as the administrator and as a skillful meeting leader and empathetic listener.

In conclusion, her staff is in awe of her. She makes each of us want to be our best self. She walks her truth,  inspires us to be better, and sees the best in everyone. When groups set norms for interacting with each other, they frequently mention, “Assume positive intentions.” That rule is unspoken with our nominee--she assumes positive intentions with everyone she meets and in every interaction she makes. She truly makes our school a joyful place to work and to learn.

Dear Families,

This summer Santa Clara Unified School District is partnering with the Stanford School of Medicine and Sustainable Community Gardens to run the 8^th year of the farming and cooking summer camp on the SCUSD Farm in Sunnyvale, CA. Come be part of the educational Farm and the Stanford Summer Food and Farm Camp 2018!

We love cooking with kids and exploring new types of foods with them! Each day of camp features a specific theme that we explore in depth through scientific inquiry, art, songs, gardening, storytelling, and games. Food-centered themes include the life of seeds, cooking with spices, solar oven cooking, and cuisines from around the world. Additional themes include soil biology, discovering wilderness on the farm (such as birding), and components of sustainable design.

The camp is run by Stanford students, led by Medical School Professor Christopher Gardner. Together we aim to create a learning community with the Farm, Stanford University and our camp families. On the last day of each week of camp we invite families to join us for a delicious farm cooked Pizza Party. The dough, cheese, and all the toppings are made by the campers and many of the ingredients are grown on the Farm! This party is an opportunity for campers to share with families all they have experienced during camp.

Whether your child likes cooking, taking care of the farm’s chickens, gardening, conducting science experiments, or just having time to play outside, they will love our camp and we will be thrilled to have them here!

Stanford Summer Food and Farm Camp 2018 – The SCUSD Farm, 1055 Dunford Way,  Sunnyvale, CA 

Spaces still available for the following four weekly sessions and age groups:

5-7 year olds (June 25-29 and/or July 9-13)

8-10 year olds (July 16-20 and/or July 23-27)

Below is the link to registration:

http://sustainablecommunitygardens.org/scg/stanford-food-farm-summer-camp-2018/

(Financial assistance available, please complete both registration and scholarship forms)

Email stanfordfarmcamp@gmail.com with any questions.

~ The Summer Camp Team

Dear Central Park Elementary Community:

We look forward to seeing all of you TONIGHT,  Tuesday, May 22nd at Chipotle for tacos, burritos, quesadillas and FUN!  Its our final fundraiser of the year!

WHERE: Chipotle, 2002 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA

WHEN: Tuesday, May 22, 4PM - 8PM only

WHAT: Enjoy dinner and community building --- SHOW this flyer (either printed or on your phone) when ordering and Chipotle will donate 50% back to the Central Park Elementary PTA

WHO: Central Park Elementary community and feel free to BRING A FRIEND!

See flyer below.

With gratitude,

Central Park Elementary PTA

A few snippets from Central Park Elementary STEAM Expo 2018.

Ms. Berger has a DonorsChoose campaign up with donation matches from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation!

Teachers and students need someone who knows how to enter their world- meet them at their level- to help them be the best learner possible. Educators and students at my school need to create roadmaps that best support their learning. This three-day conference will provide me with invaluable strategies and hands on practice I will take back to better coach my school community.

Empathy is an essential coaching practice if everyone is to have equal opportunities to grow.

Effective coaches use different lenses to allow them to dig deeperand identify ways to develop a school culture that meets everyone's needs. This conference will allow me to deepen and practice questioning and coaching strategies that help scaffold ways every teacher and student can uniquely drive their learning to better support the collective goals of the school community. The knowledge I learn will allow me to help countless teachers and students increase their self-awareness and peer to peer empathy by providing them with custom strategies. Thank you for considering my project.

Hello Wonderful Parents!

Below is our Intent To Return letter.  It will also be going out in the Wednesday envelopes.  Please take a moment to fill out and return this to us as soon as possible.

Thank you for your help,

Cindy

Cindy Howell

Secretary

Central Park Elementary

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The year is racing by! It is time for the Yearbook Cover Contest!

If your child is interested in participating, please see the attachment for guidelines.

Your PTA and Yearbook Coordinator

City of Santa Clara Community Meetings to discuss new community facilities. (PDF of Flyer)
 

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Please see the attached flyers for a fun and artistic opportunity! 

Ms. Miakje Kamstra

Principal

Waiver Form PDF

Dear All,

Please see the attachment for the after-school program, "Bricks 4 Kidz."

If you would like to know the difference between the various Lego/Robotics programs, please note the write-up on the "Robotics Blog."

Go to the website and scroll down. 

https://centralpark-scusd-ca.schoolloop.com/

You will find it on the right sidebar. Keep scrolling down so that you see the entire write-up. Many parents have been asking about the competitive, parent led team. The parents leading this effort will send out more information soon. It does require a time and equipment commitment since it is a parent run program. 

Best,

Ms. Kamstra 

Ms. Miakje Kamstra

Principal

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We have had a wonderful start to the school year. It is exciting welcoming back familiar faces and meeting new folks! 

Please note some important events coming up:

Solar Eclipse Viewing:

Date: Monday, August 21:

We have purchased an "approved" pair of glasses for all students. We will hold an assembly in the morning to teach students about the eclipse and to teach them safe practices for using the glasses.  We will then go outside for the viewing.  If you DO NOT feel comfortable having your child view the eclipse, please send your child's teacher an email or note. We will find an alternative activity for them. See below, the guidelines we will be following,

We would love volunteers to assist students! If you come on site, please sign in at the office and get a visitor's badge. Our assembly will be from 9-10am and then we will go outside. 

Parent Education Event, Dr. Kenneth Wesson, Neuroscience of how the Brain Works and STEAM

Date; Tuesday, August 22:

Time: 6:30-7:30pm

Location: Multipurpose Room

Adults Only

Please RSVP to Ms. Kamstra if you can attend as seating is limited. 

Back to School Night/PTA Member Mtg.

Tuesday, August 29

6:00pm: Kinder-2nd Grade parents attend classroom presentations (no students).

6:30pm: Principal speaks to K-4 parents (no students). PTA General Association Mtg. (Budget Approval. open position) .

7:00pm 3rd-4th grade parents attend classroom presentations (no students).

Note: Back-to-School Night is a time for parents/guardians to learn about the instructional program for the year. Please arrange for child care. Thank you!

Important Dates:

You can access our year-long "Important Dates" at:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_Lc8HBH9kcpYgMcbVGkxq9ySCxY8QOpYq0XYnAck5sQ/edit?usp=sharing

SCUSD: Safety Guidelines and Resources for Upcoming Eclipse
Eclipse 101  

It’s easy to get carried away with all of the excitement surrounding the upcoming total solar eclipse scheduled for August 21, 2017, but it’s also important to remember to be safe while enjoying this natural phenomenon. The eclipse begins at 9:01 a.m., the max eclipse is at 10:15 a.m., and the eclipse ends at 11:37 a.m. Below are some guidelines and resources to help you make this a safe experience for yourself and your children.
 

Santa Clara Unified

• Teachers will be educating students about what an eclipse is and how to view it safely, following the eclipse safety guidelines provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the American Astronomical Society, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Academy of Optometry, the American Optometric Association, and the National Science Foundation.

• Whether or not a class participates in an outdoor experience is up to each site. Those that do participate will be following the NASA eclipse safety guidelines. Some classes may also view the eclipse indoors by watching the eclipse live at the Exploratorium website.
   

Be Safe

• Looking at the sun is unsafe except during the brief phase of an eclipse where the moon entirely blocks the sun (totality), which is only visible along a 70-mile-wide path arching from Oregon to South Carolina.

• Use special-purpose solar filters, such as eclipse glasses, to look directly at the eclipsed or partially eclipsed sun — homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe for looking at the sun.

• Inspect your solar filter before use; if scratched or damaged, discard it. Read and follow any instructions printed on or packaged with the filter.

• Review safe viewing practices with children so that they are aware of the dangers associated with looking at the sun without protective eye wear.

• Always supervise children using solar filters.

• Stand still and cover your eyes with your eclipse glasses or solar viewer before looking up at the bright sun. After looking at the sun, turn away and remove your filter — do not remove it while looking at the sun.

• Do not look at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun through an unfiltered camera, telescope, binoculars, or other optical device.

• Seek expert advice from an astronomer before using a solar filter with a camera, a telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device. Note that solar filters must be attached to the front of any telescope, binoculars, camera lens, or other optics.

• If you normally wear eyeglasses put your eclipse glasses on over them, or hold your handheld viewer in front of them.

• More safety tips can be found on NASA’s Eclipse Safety webpage.
   

Resources

• Review NASA’s eclipse safety guidelines for yourself and with your child(ren).

• Visit the California Academy of Sciences website to watch a webinar about the eclipse.

• Become an eclipse explorer with the National Park Service’s activity book.

• Visit NASA’s How Eclipses Work webpage to learn all about the science and history behind eclipses.

• No solar glasses, no problem! Make your own pinhole projector.

• You can also watch the eclipse live at the Exploratorium website.

• Download the Exploratorium’s eclipse app for your phone to watch live.

• Additional educational resources are available on NASA’s Eclipse 101 website.

Ms. Miakje Kamstra

Principal

Please see the following Cub Scout Flyer (PDF) and Cub Scout Information (PDF) if you are interested in Cub Scouts. 

Ms. Miakje Kamstra

Principal

Nutrition Services has a new provider for applications and payments for the 2017-2018 school year

The new place for parents to make payments, monitor their students accounts and apply for free meals is https://www.schoolcafe.com/