Springer Buzz!

October 25, 2013

In This Issue

Calendar Dates

News and Announcements

Parent Education Opportunities

Student Extracurricular Activities

Quick Dates for your Calendar

October 31, Thursday, 1.15pm:  Annual Costume Parade   

November 18-22:  Book Fair, including Family Night on November 20 from 5-7.30pm                     

News and Announcements

LAEF: Don't forget to mail your check! If you pledged a donation to LAEF during this week's phonathon--Thank You! Please send your check as soon as possible. Your child, your Springer staff and the District appreciate - and rely on - your generous annual support.  If you are increasing your donation over last year, remember that we need to receive it by November 1 in order to take advantage of the matching challenge grant. For a list of local companies that offer corporate matching funds, contact LAEF Executive Director Shobana Gubbi at 650-559-0445 or by email laef@att.net.

LAEF representatives at Springer are:

Nancy F

Susan Longyear, sue.longyear[at]gmail.com

Brooke Schiller, bbwc[at]sbcglobal.net

Kristin Najarian (member at-large), kristin_najarian[at]yahoo.com  

Make Your Tax Deductible Donation Today!  www.laefonline.org

Kudos to the Walkathon Team!

Woo hoo!!  A big SHOUT OUT to Christy Gammons, Karen McKinley and their outstanding team for pulling together the best Walkathon ever!!

From the Golden Gate Bridge and Hollywood on the west coast to the Statue of Liberty and the Capitol Building on the east coast, the Springer community embarked on a road trip of a lifetime last weekend and what an adventure it was! Everything could not have turned out more beautifully and smoothly….the music, the food tables, the raffle, the decorations (wow!!), incentives, setup, etc!

And, a HUGE thank you to all of our kids and families for going on the road trip with us and to all of the sponsors for their support!

Linda McCartney and LeeAnn Steffen, 2013-2014 Springer PTA Co-Presidents

WALK-A-THON: Don't forget to collect your sponsor money! Checks should be made out to Springer PTA. Donations are due to the office by Tuesday, November 5.

Project Cornerstone

Every single person on campus is part of the “Springer Upstander Community”.  When adults at school are involved in supporting positive behavior and discouraging negative behavior, we can build a safe and caring community for all students to learn and grow.  This link to the “10 Second Intervention” has information that will give adults some tools of their own to show all of our children we are committed to helping each individual feel valued, respected, and known.

The Book Fair is coming to the Springer Multi, November 18 - 22!

Family Night is Wednesday, November 20, 5:00pm - 7:30pm

Shop online November 18 - December 3 from the Book Fair tab on the Springer website.

Take STEM home with you for Halloween

Here is a DIY project you can do with your family.  

Create a LED Ghosties for Halloween!

(This is not a required project.)

Materials:

Empty plastic bottle

2 LED lights

string

a scrap of fabric

2 batteries (3V lithium coin cell)

Directions:

1.  Poke two holes at the neck of the bottle and run the string through.  This string can be used to hang the ghost from a tree or post.

2.  Make a slit in the back of the bottle to stick the LEDs through.

3.  Bend the leads at 90 degrees so that you can tape the battery to the outside of the bottle later.

4.  Once you have both LEDs in, put a 3V lithium coin cell (e.g. 2032) between the leads of the first LED. If it lights up, tape it in place. If not, turn the battery around so that it lights up and tape it in place.

5.  Do the same with the second LED and tape both of the batteries to the bottle to hold them down.

6.  Poke a couple of holes in a scrap of lightweight fabric and poke the string through.

7.  Add writing to the fabric - “It is scary how much we have learned!  Thank you LAEF!”  

8.  Place the fabric over the bottle and hang it outside.

Let’s see how many you can find in the neighborhood!

Idea and directions taken from www.evilmadescientist.com

Volunteer for Hot Lunch!

The Hot Lunch team is looking for volunteers to fill a few open slots. The lunch shift is from 11:35-12:15, and we have the following openings:

Every other Monday

Every other Wednesday

Every other Thursday

2 openings - Every other Friday

Hot Lunch is a fun way to see your children during the school day, and you will receive a free lunch credit for every shift you work.

Interested? Contact Hilary Burcell (hilary[at]burcell.com) or Anita Leo (amleo73[at]yahoo.com)

Check out our selection of Springer Spirit Wear!

DTG printing by Big Frog on white or ash colored T-shirts, only $18 each!  View the designs here!

We also have select sizes of Classic Spirit Wear (inventory left over from previous years) available.  View those designs here.

Questions?  Contact Michelle Mihopoulos at michellemihopoulos[at]gmail.com or 408-892-5082.

Parent Education Opportunities

MVLA Schools, Parent Education Speaker Series

Wednesday, November 13, 7-9pm

Our Distracted Mind: Brain, Memory and Multi-tasking

Adam Gazzaley, MD, PhD

Aimed at parents of 4-12th grade students

Los Altos High School Eagle Theatre

Student Extracurricular Activities

LEGO ROBOTICS AT SPRINGER ELEMENTARY - OPEN TO GIRLS & BOYS, GRADES 4-6

Tuesdays from October 15th 2013 – December 10th 2013

CLASS TIME: 2:45pm – 4:15pm, STEM Room

For more information about Play-Well TEKnologies, click here or visit our website at www.play-well.org.

Questions? Please contact Dan Merlin at Dan@play-well.org or (925) 998-5408.

Calling all Young Artists

Original Modern Student Artwork Sought for Exhibition

Los Altos Youth Welcomes SFMOMA on the Go

The Los Altos Youth Welcomes SFMOMA on the Go exhibition will be launched with opening receptions throughout the downtown for student artists, families and community during the First Friday event on Friday, November 1st from 6-8pm.  Each student whose artwork is selected will receive a $5 gift card from Know Knew Books, the newest arrival in downtown Los Altos and a special pin to wear.  Students can pick up free scrap materials at Fast Frame on State Street should they wish.

Exhibit Dates:           November 1, 2013 – November 8, 2013

Location:                  Merchants in downtown Los Altos

Eligibility:                  Original modern art by elementary, middle and high school students

To Enter:                  Submit modern artwork on 8 ½’ x 11” paper with name, phone number and email on the back.

Provide a 1” x 3” name card for your artwork including name, age and school to be displayed with your artwork. Submit art to the Art Docent Office at the Los Altos School District, 201 Covington Road, Los Altos.

Deadline:                  Entries must be received by Friday, October 24, 2013

MVLA SOFTBALL SIGN-UP

It’s that time of year yet again. The leaves are falling, children are preparing their Halloween costumes, and the stores are stocking their shelves for Christmas.

That’s right! IT’S TIME TO SIGN-UP FOR SOFTBALL! Registration for the Spring 2014 season of MVLA Girls Softball opens on November 1.

Established in 1972, MVLA Girls Softball (MVLAGS) is an ASA-sanctioned recreational league committed to giving girls ages 5 to 16 the opportunity to explore and enjoy the game of softball. MVLAGS is a volunteer-driven organization serving over 500 families from over 40 schools in Mountain View, Los Altos, and surrounding communities.

We play on fields throughout the area, including Springer Elementary School, Oak Elementary School, Graham Middle School, and our softball complex at Stevenson Park. Our 6U and 8U divisions are school-based so girls can practice and play with their friends. Upper divisions, 10U and above, are formed in order to balance teams for fair competition. We focus on skill development, teamwork, sportsmanship, and, of course, having FUN! Everyone Plays!

Learn more about us at: www.mvlags.org

MVLA Girls Softball: Girls. Softball. It’s All We Do. Since 1972.

GirlSPARC

GirlSPARC - a Science Plus ARithmetic Club - is an after-school extracurricular STEM program for 2nd - 6th grade girls, with the goal of exposing girls to engineering, math & science topics in a fun, supportive environment.  We are offering the program twice a week - Mondays for 2nd & 3rd grade girls, and Thursdays for 4th, 5th & 6th grade girls.  It is an 8 week program, starting on 9/23.  For more information, contact Tracy Stone, tracygstone[at]yahoo.com, or Anita Mathew, anita.mathew10[at]gmail.com.

Play In A Box After-School Fall Drama Class

Springer Elementary is teaming up with Peninsula Youth Theatre to offer after school drama this fall! Students will learn the basics of acting, character development, story-telling and theater terminology while having fun and rehearsing a show.

For more details or to register online, go to:  http://pytspringerfall2013.eventbrite.com

Public Speaking Classes

"Public Speaking Classes" for grades 3.4.5.6 on Wednesdays 2:50pm - 3:55pm (starting 9/25/13) (There will be supervision for 3rd graders from 2:25-2:50pm)  For registration and more information, click here!

How to submit an article to the Springer STAR

If you have an article to submit to Springer Buzz, please send it to the editor at springer.buzz@gmail.com by noon on Monday for inclusion in the next edition.  Late arrivals will be included if possible but can’t be guaranteed! All flyers must be in either WORD or PDF format, accompanied by a brief summary of the activity in the email.