Principal's Newsletter #8

11/2/2022

Important Events

Trimester 1 Ends

Friday, 11/4

No School - Veteran's Day

Friday, 11/11

Parent - Teacher Conferences

November 4-10, 12:10 Dismissal

No School - Thanksgiving Break

November 21-25

John DiCosmo

This is one of the books that I revisit annually. It's a page turner and full of practical advice. Highly recommended. 

“This is the stuff of the best parenting advice . . . . A worthwhile read for every parent . . . . Our children are engaged in the serious work of becoming an adult. With this book, Lythcott-Haims provides the missing user manual.”

―The Chicago Tribune

Reed Union School District has partnered with the national nonprofit, YouthTruth, to help us hear feedback from you about what we are doing well, and how we can improve.

From October 31 to November 18, the YouthTruth Family survey will be open and we want to hear from you!

PLEASE TAKE THIS 15 MINUTE ONLINE SURVEY HERE: ytsurvey.org/rusdfamily22

Your response is anonymous and will be combined with responses from other parents/guardians throughout the district. We ask that one member of each household fill out the survey. If you have more than one child who attends the school district, you may respond to the survey multiple times - one time per child. Thank you for your feedback! It is a gift that helps us continually improve.

Specialist Newsletter Fall 2022

Physical Education

P.E. has had a great start to the year with our all-star students keeping the focus on teamwork and being safe, kind and fair. 

We discussed why doctors recommend one hour of physical activity daily. Recently we highlighted F.I.T.T. (Frequency, Intensity, Time, Type) as a useful tool to evaluate your activities. 

Safe Routes to Schools classes are scheduled for December and the fourth graders will enjoy the on-bike event in the Spring. www.saferoutestoschools.org

We will remain outdoors throughout most of our mild winter. Please remember to dress your student with layers for being outside.

Thank you for reading and thank you to everyone who is supporting the Foundation for Reed Schools. Contact me anytime!  jsievert@reedschools.org

Music

Music class is off to a great start. I am enjoying getting to know the 3rd grade students (we started off the year by doing some getting-to-know-you activities), and am happy to be working more in depth with 4th and 5th graders.

The music program at Bel Aire is based on Orff-Schulwerk, an approach to music education developed by the German composer Carl Orff and his colleague Gunild Keetman. Orff Schulwerk taps into children’s’ natural predisposition and attraction to games, rhymes, and chants. It is a multi-faceted approach to music education, which offers students a variety of media-- singing, dancing, playing instruments, dramatizing--in which to create and experience music. Orff-Schulwerk also embraces the music and dance of cultures around the world.  The social dimensions of group music-making are also a highly valued aspect of the Bel Aire music program.

In 3rd grade, we learned a welcome song from Ghana (“Funga Alafia”); moved to a folk song from Sweden (“Fjäskern”); played a game, and learned the melody on xylophones, to a song from the U.S. (“Let Us Chase the Squirrel”); and used various percussion instruments to make spooky sound effects to “the Haunted House”.

In 4th grade, we learned the xylophone melody to the aforementioned “Funga Alafia”; made up our own melody to “Pease Porridge Hot”; learned a rhyme and partner activity from Japan (“Omochio”); and learned a creepy xylophone arrangement to “Old Abram Brown” (makes me shudder to think about it!).

In 5th grade, we learned about the roots, and musical structure, of the blues; composed our own song lyrics to go with the blues, as well as to a story entitled, “Fortunately”; and worked in small groups to make up a skit to a recorded piece called “Powerhouse”, by Don Byron. The results have been fabulous! I’m looking forward to continuing our musical journey during the 2nd trimester. –Jeb Gist (jgist@reedschools.org)

Library

In the library, our amazing readers are off to a great start. 

We had a fun assembly in October called “Rock Out to Reading” where Andre 

Chevalier got the students involved and fired up about reading as a lifelong adventure.

https://www.songspun.com/rockout-for-reading

At Bel Aire, classes come to the library every week for 50 minutes. Students can check out up to 2 books for 2 weeks at a time. (Books can also be renewed.) All of our students have learned how the Bel Aire Library works, where the books are located, and how the check-in/check-out process works. I’ve been sharing funny read-alouds, as well as teaching Digital Citizenship lessons and, of course, lessons on the Dewey Decimal System. 

I look forward to seeing you all in the library!! 

All the best, 

Lisa Brigulio

Teacher Librarian (lbrigulio@reedschools.org)

HERE are some helpful links for the library. 

And if you would like to volunteer in the library, please sign up HERE. 

Spanish

Our wonderful language learners are doing great in Spanish Class!

We have been learning about the beautiful culture surrounding El Día de los Muertos which takes place on November 2. We studied notable Spanish speakers and how the observance began during Hispanic Heritage Month. Students had the opportunity to be a part of this year’s Mill Valley Film Festival with some world-class animated movie talks. And every day we start out by practicing the calendar in Spanish.

Our 3rd graders have been studying classroom language and numbers within our Spanish curriculum.

4th graders are practicing Spanish within the topics of Feelings and Days & Weather from our Spanish curriculum.

The 5th graders are learning to use Verbs in the Classroom as well as Reflexive Verbs from our Spanish curriculum.

And please ask your child to sing the Good Morning Song (Buenos días a todos aquí) to you - they are all fantastic singers!

- Señora Janette Mutilva ( jkreinberg@reedschools.org )

Art

Art is off to a great start. We have completed one project and are starting the second. We are taking a break from drawing and painting to do clay for the next two weeks. Expect a wonderful holiday gift made by your child! Thank you for supporting the foundation and making the art program available to all students at Bel Aire!

3rd Grade: We finished our pumpkins and have started working on tint. 

4th: We have finished our “Southern Wildflowers” and have started still life.

5th: We have finished our “Scary Trees” and are almost finished with our “Blue Ridge Mountains.”

Upcoming Dates:

November 8th - Deadline to Sign Up for Bel Aire Play 

November 15-17th - Bel Aire Play Auditions

December 7th - Walk & Roll to School “Winter Wonderland” Day

December 7th - Bel Aire PTA Meeting

Thank you to the Bel Aire Book Fair Chairs Michele Barnowski & Morgan Greenberg and Fall Fest Chairs Dana Berhoff, Maren Jaffe, Chenin Malloy, & Tracey Paull and all of the VOLUNTEERS for making this year’s event such a huge success. 

We are thrilled to be able to offer every Bel Aire student the opportunity to participate in this year’s Bel Aire PTA Play, The Little Mermaid, Jr. For many years, the play has been and continues to be directed by a professional theater director and choreographer and vocal/music directors, while it’s sponsored and produced by the Bel Aire PTA. This is a unique arts enrichment program for our students and is on par with top Bay Area children’s theater programs.  For more information on how to participate, please review the Information Packet and register online by November 8th. Auditions will be November 15th, 16th, and 17th and rehearsals begin November 29th.

Again this year, Bel Aire PTA is partnering with Adopt A Family of Marin to support nine families (shared across classes in each grade) in our Marin community during the holidays.  With our community support, we can make a difference this holiday season. Look for more information coming soon through your Room Parents.

Safe Routes to School:  Thank you to everyone who participated in today’s Walk and Roll to School “Gratitude” Day. The next Walk and Roll to School day is Wednesday, December 7th! Walking and rolling to school is not only a good healthy habit, but it also helps decrease traffic and helps the environment.  All Walk and Roll participants earn a prize and can enter the very cool raffle. So, get those sneakers on and we’ll see you again on December 7th!

Bel Aire PTA: Please join us for our next meeting on Wednesday, December 7th at 8:30 a.m.(Bel Aire PTA meetings are generally on the first Wednesday of the month)  For more information, contact Bel Aire PTA Site Chair Laura Smith, lauracarolinesmith@gmail.com

 Your family’s $30 PTA dues fund programs that otherwise would not exist- such as assemblies, field trips and teacher appreciation to name a few.  Please pay your dues and join today!  Please email Toni Lee, Membership Chairman, ttoutloff@gmail.com  if you would like to confirm your membership.

Follow us on the Gram’ @rusdpta. If you have any great photos you’d like to share; please email them to mickeybruce7@gmail.com 

RUSD Mission & Vision: Each student will be challenged and inspired to reach their fullest intellectual, social-emotional and creative potential to positively impact the world.