March 2015 - Paradise Valley Elementary School

The Paradise Valley Paw Print
PV Children are
Blossoming!
March - April 2015
Dear Paradise Valley Families,
Can you believe it is already that time of year? The end of February and the
start of March also means the start of our final marking period. Your children
have grown so much since the start of the school year back in August. The
effort shown by them has been wonderful to observe as I walk through
classrooms and it gives me great pride in seeing them blossom.
Student report cards will be going out the week of March 16th - 20th so keep
an eye out in your child’s backpack. We have lots of fun events coming up in
March and April. We have the Talent Show coming up on March 13th.
Participating students have been working really hard and practicing to show
their talents for the final show starting at 6:00 pm. At the end of the Talent
Show, we will also have a performance by our school staff (yes, that is right;
we have been practicing too!)
One of our student leadership groups- the Student Council- is working with
me on organizing the first ever Career Day at Paradise Valley. We will be
reaching out to you for your assistance. More information to follow soon.
Under the Sea
Book Fair
March 23 – 26
Our 3rd - 6th graders took the Interim Smarter Balanced Assessments these
past two weeks and we will be taking the Summative (end of year) Smarter
Balanced Assessments (SBAC) starting around mid-April – mid May (exact
dates to be finalized and communicated soon).
Visit the book fair and Dive
into Reading. While you are
shopping for some of your
favorite books, you can also
find Nemo!*
This is a very important assessment and it is important that your child be
present for testing on those days. Please make whatever arrangements you
can to avoid unnecessary appointments or avoid any scheduled vacations that
would prevent your child from attending school during testing weeks. We are
shooting for 100% participation in taking the SBAC and need your help in
this.
Support your child’s reading
AND the school and teachers
by making a purchase.
Volunteer opportunities
available! Contact Lori E. at
(408)710-2263.
*Nemo is lost in the book fair.
If you find him, fill out a “FIND
NEMO” slip. If you have the
right answer, you could win a
fabulous prize.
Our students are ‘MARCHing’ right along and I look forward to continued
growth for all our Paradise Panthers with all our integrated technology
efforts. Upward and Beyond!
If you have any questions or I can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate
to contact me at dagars@mhusd.org or at 408-201-6460.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Swati Dagar
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Paradise Valley Paw Print
Upcoming Events
My 5th Grade Sacramento Trip
By Henry Shuma
March
16
19
Spell-a-Thon Pledge Sheets Due
Return PNO Grade Level Basket
Donations
School Pictures (Spring)
Lego Jedi Master Engineering /
2:15 p.m.
20
Family Bingo Night / 5:30 – 7:30
p.m.
Spell-a-Thon Corrected Test,
Pledge Sheet & Collection
Envelope Sent Home
24
ELAC / 8:00 a.m. (Library)
26
HSA Meeting / 7:50 a.m.
Lego Jedi Master Engineering /
2:15 p.m.
27
Panther Den
30
Spell-a-Thon Pledge Money Due
April
2
3-10
March - April 2015
Manny Day
Lego Jedi Master Engineering /
2:15 p.m.
NO SCHOOL - Spring Break
13
Volunteer Appreciation Week
23
HSA Meeting/ 7:50 a.m.
24
Everyone Matters Day
Parents’ Night Out – “Get Down
and Derby” / 6:00 p.m. (Clos
LaChance Winery)
This trip was fun. I liked Old Sacramento. And the capital was giant! The capital had
two legislative parts: the Senate and the House of Representatives. They were red
and green. The 80 House of
Representatives have fancy vote
buttons for voting, but the 40 Senators
have to vote by voice!
My group and I had a good time in the
railroad museum (those mannequin’s
sometimes scared me though). There
was one train that felt like it was
moving, and there was also a toy train
museum on top!
Fifth grader, Henry Shuma, takes a moment from
his busy day at the State Capitol to pose next to a
bronze statue of the state animal, the California
Grizzley bear.
Then we went to the Candy Parlor. My
friends and I looked in old Sacramento
and gave some water to stray cats and
got ice cream. The trip was very fun (I
regret drinking an entire water bottle
though).
Don’t Miss the Derby!
This year’s Parent’s Night Out (PNO) event at Clos LaChance Winery in San Martin
promises to be the best one yet, featuring live acoustic guitar during the silent
auction and DJ dancing afterward. Enjoy a gourmet meal served buffet-style. Beer and
wine will be available for purchase, and Clos LaChance Winery is donating 20% of the
proceeds of all the wine sold that night back to Paradise Valley Elementary School.
Some highlights of the evening include:
Silent auction
DJ dancing
Free photo booth
Raffles
Teacher basket raffle
Wine fridge raffle—with wine
included in the fridge!
 Men’s and women’s hat contests
Get your tickets before April 1st, and you will receive a FREE raffle ticket! The winner
of this raffle will receive $100 to spend at PNO!
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Ample parking is provided and valet service will be available for your convenience.
Clos LaChance Winery in located in San Martin and is only a short distance from
Paradise Valley Elementary School. Take Watsonville Road West and turn Left on
Hummingbird Lane. See you there!
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Paradise Valley Paw Print
March - April 2015
Annual Spell-a-Thon
Panther Den is held
during the first recess on
the following Fridays…
March 13 and 27
April 17
May 1 and 15
June 1
Bring your family to Bingo Night
on March 20th from 5:30 to 7:30
p.m. in the PV cafeteria for a fun-filled
time of games and prizes. You will be
helping to raise funds for the 6th grade
science camp, which will be May 1115 this year.
There is no admission fee, but there is a
small charge to purchase bingo
cards. Children must be accompanied by
an adult, and everyone is encouraged to
play. Pizza, sodas, and baked goods will
be available for purchase.
All Paradise Valley classes will be participating in the annual Spell-A-Thon
fundraiser. grade-specific spelling lists and pledge sheets were sent home on March
6, giving students time to study for the test and get pledges for each word spelled
correctly. All money collected will go directly back to teachers for use in
stocking their classrooms next year. This fundraiser is a great way to support the
teachers while giving the students an opportunity to improve their spelling.
Friday, March 6th—Spelling list and pledge sheets went home.
Monday, March16th—Completed pledge sheets due back to
teachers.
Wednesday, March 18th—Students take spelling test. Volunteers still
needed to correct tests on Wednesday, March 18th. If interested, go to
the Volunteer Spot at http://vols.pt/JzF5Tq.
Friday, March 20th—Corrected test, pledge sheet & collection
envelope sent home.
Monday, March 30th—All pledge sheets and money due back to
teachers.
The lower and upper class with the most pledges will receive a pizza
party! Any questions, contact Spell-A-Thon Coordinator, Tracey Nguyen, at
(510)825-8649. Thanks and good luck!
The Places You’ll Go
Early March 2nd, without much ado, Mrs. Dagar, Thing One, said to Thing Two, “I think
it is time for us to depart. Let’s go get the other things, and then we can start.” So they
left, those two, to gather the rest, and assemble the students to honor their guest. The
guest was none other than the Cat in the Hat, who came that day, as a matter of fact.
He came walking big. He came walking tall. He came with a very important message
for all: “The more that you READ, the more things you will KNOW. The more that you
LEARN, the more places you’ll GO.”
This will be the last fundraiser of the
school year for the 6th grade camp. Sixth
graders are also selling World's Best
Chocolate bars for $1 per bar through the
end of March. Get ‘em while they last!
Panther Fun Fact
When is the first day of spring where
we live? According to Astronomers, it is
the day in March when the sun shines
directly at the equator, making the day
and night equal. The official name is the
Vernal Equinox, and this year it occurs on
March 20, 2015. After this date, the days
will begin to grow longer than the nights.
Paradise Valley Elementary celebrated Read across America
Day on March 2nd, 2015. (Quotation above courtesy of Dr. Seuss.)
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Paradise Valley Paw Print
Many of the volunteer chair positions are
opening for the next school year. Now is
the time to start thinking about what you
might want to get involved in.
*Fundraisers * Enrichment * Holidays *
Hospitality & Campus * Health & Safety
* General Support. Each category has
several essential and rewarding programs
that need someone’s leadership and care.
Watch for updates to the volunteer page
on our HSA website in April. Anyone who
is interested in filling a chair position,
contact Cynthia Pozas at
cynthiapozas@yahoo.com.
Volunteer website:
https://paradisevalleyhsa.ourschoolpages.com/Pack
et/Volunteer/VolunteeringPacketPage/1
Class Art Leads for
PNO are urgently
needed from the
following classes:
Breslau, Miller, and
Lewis.
Please contact Kelley Chimienti at
kelleyatc@gmail.com.
Do you April Fool?
April 1, known as April Fool's Day, is a
traditional day for people to play a
harmless prank or joke on friends and
acquaintances. Some people take part in
playing pranks on this day and some do
not. Members of Mr. Wright's 6th grade
class responded to a survey on whether or
not they would play a joke on someone
and here are their comments:
Autumn D. —"No, because I really don't
believe in doing something as stupid as
pranking people."
March - April 2015
Amber H.—"Yes, because it is fun and a funny experience. I love April Fool's Day
because that's when I laugh the most. Lol was meant for this holiday!"
Giselle P.—"I would play a joke on someone because I think it would be fun.
Also, April 1 only comes once a year and it's a fun day to play tricks on people without
getting in trouble."
Timmy—"Yes, I will play a joke on someone this April Fool's Day. I love seeing the
look on the face of the person I prank."
Ryan O. —"Yes I would because my little brother and sister always play a joke on me
and it's a funny way to make my family laugh."
Karina—"I will play a joke on my older brother because he is almost 16 and he never
gets out of the bathroom because he needs to come out looking perfect. He is always
in my way in the morning. So I need to plan a great and wonderful prank on him. It's
karma."
Julie—"I will play a joke on my cousin because one time he prank-called me."
Kimber M.—"I don't think I will because it seems silly, and if I was going to I would
probably get in trouble for it."
Logan R.—"I don't think so. I don't really do that April Fool's stuff."
Daniel M.—"I will play a joke on someone because I do it every year. Also, it actually
might brighten someone's day if they're feeling down."
Kenneth W.—I would totally play a prank on someone because I like to see the
person freak out and how they look like they don't know what's going on. I am a
great planner for pranks, and a good prank thinker."
Samantha A.—"Yes. I will be playing a joke on somebody this year. I don't think of it
as mean. I believe it just gives you something to laugh about. After I prank
somebody, we always get a good laugh out of it, and it's a good way to start the day."
Katelynn J.—"Yes because it is funny to watch a friend or family member get
surprised."
Zachary—"I will only play a joke/prank on someone if they do it to me first because I
don't like pranking people but if they get me, I will."
Nomar S.—"I really don't know if I will this year. In a way, pranking is kind of
bullying, and it might hurt the person you're pranking. But it could bring you and the
person a good laugh."
Ashley P.—"I think this year will be the year I pull a joke on someone. It's the only
time you can prank someone and not get in too much trouble. That's
why I'm pulling a prank."
Ines—"I will not because most tricks or jokes
are mean and just unnecessary. Sometimes
people who get tricked will feel sad or
unhappy. Now if the trick is nice, I don't have
any problem with it."
Laura C.—"I think I will not play a joke on
anyone. If I would ever get caught up in a
joke, I might accidentally get someone hurt
because I might have a tendency to obsess in
the joke. This is the reason why I will not."
Arturo—"Yes I will because I love it when
they see the prank and say whaaaaat?"
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