Happy Thanksgiving!  J

Dear Parents,

With the hustle and bustle of the Thanksgiving holidays fast approaching us, I wanted to take a moment and let you know how thankful I am to be part of your child’s education.  Our dynamic teachers and your continued support blend together to make Tijeras Creek the truly amazing school that it is.  Your dedication to your children’s education shows in the way you volunteer at our school.  The different monthly teams who spend 4 hours of their day at the recycling center is just one example of your tireless dedication to our school.  Even the most unglamorous jobs are done with zest and vigor.  I am grateful each and every day for all you as parents do for our school.  (It Takes A Village To Educate A Child.) We have so much to be thankful for here in the United States. It’s my wish that you all take time to enjoy the important things in life…your children, your parents, your loved ones.  Eat well…travel safely…and return thankful for all of the good things in life!  I will be enjoying my family who will be visiting from Arizona and Florida.    While counting my blessings I will certainly be including the entire Tijeras Creek community.    Please have a wonderful time enjoying your family and friends as we start our Thanksgiving Holiday beginning Monday, November 24, 2008!!   I’ve included some historical Turkey Trivia for fun ~ see below! 

Stay safe, continue to read, and don’t forget to recycle your plastic bags, newspapers, aluminum and your plastic bottles!

Respectfully,

Mrs. Diann Buckingham

TURKEY TRIVIA: 

At one time, the turkey and the bald eagle were each considered as the national symbol of America.  Benjamin Franklin was one of those who argued passionately on behalf of the turkey.  Franklin felt the turkey, although "vain and silly", was a better choice than the bald eagle, which he felt was "a coward".

·         According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 45 million turkeys are cooked and eaten in the U.S. at Thanksgiving ~ that's one sixth of all turkeys sold in the U.S. each year. American per capita consumption of turkeys has soared from 8.3 pounds in 1975 to 18.5 pounds in 1997. Ten years later, the number has dropped slightly in 2007 to 17.5 pounds.

·         In 2007, more than 260 million turkeys were raised with an average live weight per bird of 28 pounds with nearly 6 billion pounds of turkey processed. By contrast, in 1970, only 105 million birds were raised with an average live weight of 17 pounds and 1.5 billion pounds processed.

·         In 2002, retail sales of turkey were approximately $3.6 billion. Forecasts for 2008 expect sales to reach $4.3 billion.

·         Age is a determining factor in taste. Old, large males are preferable to young toms (males) as tom meat is stringy. The opposite is true for females: old hens are tougher birds.

·         A turkey under sixteen weeks of age is called a fryer, while a young roaster is five to seven months old.

·         Turkeys are the only breed of poultry native to the Western Hemisphere.

·         Turkeys have great hearing, but no external ears. They can also see in color, and have excellent visual acuity and a wide field of vision (about 270 degrees), which makes sneaking up on them difficult. However, turkeys have a poor sense of smell (what's cooking?), but an excellent sense of taste.

·         Domesticated turkeys cannot fly. Wild turkeys, however, can fly for short distances at speeds up to 55 miles per hour. They can also reach speeds of 25 miles per hour on the ground.

·         Turkeys sometimes spend the night in trees.

·         Turkeys can have heart attacks: turkeys in fields near the Air Force test areas over which the sound barrier was broken were known to drop dead from the shock of passing jets.

·         The ballroom dance known as the Turkey Trot was named for the short, jerky steps a turkey makes.

·         This bit of Turkey Trivia found at:  http://www.infoplease.com/spot/tgturkeyfacts.html

THANKSGIVING WEEK: NO SCHOOL MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NEXT WEEK:
A friendly reminder that the entire week of November 24 - 28 ~ Thanksgiving week ~ there is no school in the Capistrano Unified School District.

READING: THE MOST IMPORTANT HOMEWORK FOR YOU AND YOUR CHILD EVERY NIGHT
Moms and dads, a friendly reminder to be sure that your child(ren) are reading 365 days a year.

·         They should be reading independently -- books and magazines that they can and will read.

·         You should also spend time each and every day reading aloud to your child(ren).

INNISBROOK GIFT ORDERS HAVE ARRIVED:

Orders will be available for pickup in the MPR (multi-purpose room) on:

Monday        December 1st        2:00pm-3:00pm

Tuesday        December 2nd       7:15am-8:00am and 2:00pm-3:00pm

Wednesday   December 3rd        7:15am-8:00am and 2:00pm-3:00pm  

If you have any questions, please contact Brenda Myers at 888-7477.

GET YOUR GIFT CARDS!!
Please remember that if you use the Gift Card program -- to buy gas, go to a restaurant, or shop for the holidays -- Tijeras Creek can benefit, as well.  By buying gift cards for things you'd buy "everyday", you can help raise money for Tijeras Creek.  It's easy -- just pick your favorite gas station, restaurant, and/or retail store, and then buy a gift card. 

Simply, fill-out the order form on the mailer sent home with your student, OR go to  http://www.capousd.org/tces to print your own order form, and return your order to your student's teacher -- reminder, all orders need to include a check, payable to Tijeras Creek Booster Club. Also, extra gift card order forms are available in the school office. 

Remember, HOLIDAY ORDERS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12th, to be received by the holiday break.

FOOD DRIVE UPDATE:

Thank you to all the wonderful families who donated food to our Second Harvest food drive!  Our school community donated 711 cans of food!

CONGRATULATIONS TIJERAS CREEK MATHMAGICIANS!

Ten Tijeras Creek math scholars compete in a national math Olympiad here at school.  These math “magicians” meet twice monthly and compete five times per year.

Our math scholars are off to a great start!  Congratulations to Matthew Bundy, Mitchell Couron, Emily Green, Emily Hardy, Kevin Hart, Ameer Hussain, Christian Mercado, Matthew Serrano, Jacob Stanley, and Sachil Verma!  Special thanks to Mrs. Tarui for coaching our scholars!

SCIENCE CAMP UPDATE: 5^TH GRADE PARENTS:

If you haven’t done so already, please fill out the Science Camp paperwork that your teachers have e-mailed you previously. Include a down payment of $218 made out to Tijeras Creek Booster Club. Payment and paperwork are due back to your teacher by Monday, December 1st (that’s the day we return from Thanksgiving). If you have any questions, please contact your teacher or email rebrukh@cox.net or andreaowen@cox.net. Your teachers should be e-mailing you another set of copies this week if you have misplaced the previous.  Thank you!

COMMUNITY EVENT:  PARENT TIME OUT AT JUMP AND SHOUT IN RSM!

ATTENTION ALL PARENTS!!! Looking for a Parent Time Out this holiday season?  Need to go shopping? Dine Out? Cook? Attend a Party?  Well, we have the answer for you!  Tesoro Pep Squad is sponsoring a Parent Time Out at Jump and Shout in Rancho Santa Margarita for boys and girls (ages 5 – 12) on December 5th from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m., Saturday, December 6th from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. and Saturday, December 6th from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m.!!!!  Cost is $35 for the first child and $20 for each additional sibling per session.  Participants will have the opportunity to Jump and Shout on the many inflatables, watch movies, do crafts or just hang out! Registration forms can be downloaded from our website at www.tesorocheer.com!  Space is limited and registrations will be taken on a first come first serve basis. All forms must be received by Wednesday, December 3rd. Any questions, please contact Melanie Stucki at melaniestucki@yahoo.com or (949) 633-2205.

SCHOOL NEWS ROLL CALL:

School News Roll Call is a free newspaper that is sent home with students every few months and does not cost CUSD any funds.  Covering district and community news, recent issues are online at: http://www.capousd.org/schoolnews.htm. 

CELEBRATING FAMILY AND FRIENDS: 

The City of Rancho Santa Margarita is sponsoring its 8th Annual New Year’s Eve Event, “Celebrating Family and Friends.”  The celebration is on Wednesday, December 31, 2008 from 4:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. at the Civic Plaza, 22112 El Paseo, RSM.  Every year, local schools turn in their art entries to be displayed during this event!  The top three schools with the most entries will receive $500 (1st), $250 (2nd) or $100 (3rd) towards their Art Program!  The Best in Show in each grade category gets 4 tickets to Disneyland.  All entries need to be turned in to the City of RSM. Entry deadline for the Art Contest is December 12th at 5:00 p.m.  This is a great way for students to get involved in their community!!  Go to the City of Rancho Santa Margarita’s website at http://www1.cityofrsm.org/  and click on the link for the New Year’s Eve Art Contest.  You can find all the instructions there!

SAVE THE DATE!  CELEBRATE EDUCATION MARDI GRAS 2009:

Saturday, February 21, 2990 is our next Education For The Children Foundation (EFC) fundraising event, “Celebrate Education: Mardi Gras 2009”. This Winter event (instead of a Spring event), will take place at Forster Mansion in San Juan Capistrano.  Silent and live auction items will be on display. Specialty drinks, sounds of New Orleans, raffles, and casino fun for everyone.

Watch for the invite on listserve and by mail in January.  You won’t want to miss this!  If you would like to know more about this event, volunteer, donate or are interested in sponsorships, please contact Lisa at cotohart@cox.net  or Jana at janaroy@cox.net.

CHARACTER COUNTS!

Our scholars are focusing on Caring for the month of November and December.  Please encourage your children to find ways to show they care throughout their home, school, and community life!  So many of our scholars showed they care by bringing in candy for the marines!

CLASSES WITH THE BEST ATTENDANCE: 

The following classes had the best overall classroom attendance record during the week of Nov 17 - Nov 21: Mrs. Birch (Kindergarten/1st), Mrs. Kane & Mrs. Trainor/West (1st grade), Mrs. Tarui & Mrs. Finn (2nd grade), Mrs. Grantz, (3rd grade), Mrs. Thibault (4th grade), and Mrs. Estrada (5th grade).  Congratulations go out to these classes and to every student who is “present and punctual” at Tijeras Creek!

STATE BUDGET SITUATION – HOW TO STAY INFORMED:

As you know, the State of California and the Nation are confronting a severe economic crisis.  Unfortunately, the budget crisis will have a drastic impact on our schools and district.  On Thursday, November 6th, the Governor announced his proposed solution to the current fiscal year budget shortfall.  It includes significant mid-year cuts for K-12 education.  The CUSD Board of Trustees will convene a series of meetings to discuss the current budget shortfall and possible mid-year cuts, in addition to cuts for the 2009/10 and 2010/11 school years.  The public is encouraged to attend a meeting scheduled at the CUSD District office on December 2nd at 6:00 p.m.  A regular Board Meeting is scheduled for Monday, December 8th at 7:00 p.m.

Important NOTICE FOR all present and future Tijeras creek volunteers:

Effective December 1st if you have not started the volunteer process, you cannot be allowed in the classroom until the process has been completed, you have been cleared by the Department of Justice and issued a Photo ID Badge.     Thank you for helping our school keep our children safe.  Capistrano Unified School District (Board Policy 1240).

AAA/GATE FEE-BASED TEST:

Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD) is offering public and private school parents living within CUSD boundaries an opportunity to have their children in grades 2-12 take the fee-based Otis-Lennon School Abilities Test (OLSAT). The OLSAT is used by CUSD to identify students for the Accelerated Academic Achievement/Gifted and Talented Program (AAA/GATE).  CUSD students who meet the criteria set by the District will be invited to take the OLSAT in January at their school site.  Invitations to take the school site OLSAT will be mailed home the first week of December. If a parent does not receive an invitation to take the OLSAT, he/she may have his/her child take the fee-based OLSAT on February 7th at George White Elementary School for $65.00.  Students who score at or above the 95th percentile on the OLSAT qualify for the AAA/GATE program in the fall.  Parents may download the "Fee-Based AAA/GATE Test Application" from the CUSD AAA/GATE Website at www.capousd.org/aaa. Checks and registration forms must be postmarked by January 21, 2009 or delivered to the AAA/GATE Office before 4:30 pm on January 22, 2009, so that the appropriate number of tests can be ordered.   No late registrations will be accepted.  Please Note: students who have taken the OLSAT/NNAT in January 2009 at their school site are not eligible to take the Fee-Based OLSAT in February.  Katie Robinson, AAA/GATE Curriculum Support Teacher    (949) 234-9235/ FAX (949) 489-0467.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Play Parent Night:  December 2, 6:30pm MPR

Thanksgiving Recess:  Monday, November 24th through Friday, November 28th

Winter Recess:  Monday, December 22nd through Friday, January 2nd

Martin Luther King Holiday:  Monday, January 19th

CUSD REGULAR SCHOOL YEAR CALENDARS FOR 2008-09                 

Go to: www.capousd.org/calendars.htm for your advanced planning purposes.

SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL MEETING: Tuesday, November 18th 2:30-4:00 Library

SUPERINTENDENT’S WEEKLY UPDATE: This informative publication provides important news of the events in our school district.http://www.capousd.org/swu.htm

INTERNET LINKS:

ACADEMIC RESOURCES:  http://school.nettrekker.com.com/frontdoor/

Username:  capotijeras       Password:  tijeras

SCHOOL LUNCH MENUS: http://www.capousd.org/campus/

PURCHASE SCHOOL LUNCH: http://www.capousd.org/campus/

YOUR ELECTED FEDERAL, STATE AND COUNTY OFFICIALS:  http://www.capousd.org/fiscal/LegislativeList2007.pdf

NEW DROP OFF, PICK UP, AND PARKING LOT PROCEDURES

You will notice when you approach our parking lot that changes have occurred due to the decrease in bussing servicing Tijeras Creek.   I wanted to explain to you what to expect before you arrive in the parking lot on Tuesday morning.    Please read on!  Your patience is encouraged as we work through and fine tune this new drop off and pick up procedures.

The area in front of the school that was previously known as the “Bus Lane” will now be known as the “Car Pool Lane.”  As long as you have 3 or more school age children in your car, you may enter this lane in the front of the school. This area has been designated as a car pool lane only.  Please enter this lane staying as far to the right as possible, pull forward and unload your children on the right side of your car only.  Then you may pull forward to exit the car pool lane safely.

For those of you with less than three children in your car, you must enter the school parking lot for drop off.

We have also had a change in our main parking area.  In the main parking lot you will now find a “through lane” that wraps around the end of our parking lot.  This is the lane that you travel in to either drop off or pick up your children.  (Follow the arrows.) We no longer will go to the very end of the parking lot, we have shortened it up a bit and now only the busses will go to the end of the parking lot. 

Our new bus drop off area is located at the end of the parking lot closest to the field.  This area will allow the scholars to safely enter and exit the bus.  Because we have this new bus area the line of cars that usually accumulates anywhere from 1:00 p.m. must now not form until after 1:45 p.m.  This is to ensure that our buses may enter the parking lot and be in place waiting for our children when school dismisses.  Please adhere to this new procedure as we need to have our buses waiting to load as soon as the school bell rings.

You will also notice that a chain will now be drawn across the entrance of our parking lot after l:30 p.m. every day.  This is to ensure that our buses are in place at the rear of our parking lot, in our new bus area, for pick up.  As soon as all the busses are in place, the chain will be removed and the pick up lane may start forming.  Until that time, a line will not be permitted to form.

We will still follow the same drop off/pick up procedures as in the past.  When picking up after school, please put your child’s name on a large piece of paper in the front window of your car so the teacher’s who are assisting the children can clearly see the name and call it out to those waiting.  

Due to the anticipated heavy traffic flow, adhering to these new procedures will hopefully alleviate a frustrating situation.

• Please have your children’s backpacks in their lap ready to exit the car.  (If it all possible please does not put items in the trunk of your vehicle.   This really slows down the process.
•  Say your “good-byes” and give your hugs and kisses when you enter the parking lot so your child can quickly exit the car.  Please keep the “good-byes” brief when at the curb as we need to quickly unload many cars. Allow the student ushers to assist your child getting out of the car when ever possible.
• Drivers should not get out of your vehicle.
• Pull as far forward as possible.
• Members of car pool should sit together during dismissal.
• Drop off from 7:25-7:45 School starts at 7:45!

We appreciate your help in following these procedures!

Lastly I want to mention that if you are picking up your child at the end of the day and the chain is drawn at the entrance to the school, you will need to park in the neighborhood and walk to the office, so please make sure you allow an appropriate amount of time to pick up your child. 

We are looking forward to a fabulous year and after we all get through a bit of a learning curve with these new procedures, we know that everything will work out to ensure a safe parking lot for everyone to enjoy!  It is going to be a gold medal year!

Mrs. Buckingham

Tijeras Creek, Principal

August 14, 2008

Dear Tijeras Creek Parents,

Welcome to the 2008-2009 school year at Tijeras Creek Elementary School. The district, Tijeras Creek staff, PTA, and I have been working diligently this summer to prepare for the opening of school on Tuesday, September 2, 2008.  Our anticipated enrollment for this school year is approximately 600. This is just about the same as our school enrollment last year.

I would also like to highlight several of the accomplishments we achieved as a professional learning community during the 2007-2008 school year. These accomplishments would not have been possible without the continuous support of the Tijeras Creek PTA and Education for The Children Foundation.  The outstanding Tijeras Creek PTA works closely with our teachers to support the vision and the mission of our school.  It is an amazing partnership.  Below please review just a few of the accomplishments from our past school year.

• Increased community outreach by sending weekly list serve, refinement and continuous update of our web site, and biweekly PTA newsletter.
• Increase in STAR testing scores.
• Increased staff knowledge and expertise in writing techniques facilitated by Anne Diskin, an expert in the field of teaching writing and Capistrano Unified Writing Cadre. 
• Development of the School-Wide Recycling Program.
• Continued development of the Student Ambassador Program.
• Development of reading intervention programs utilizing a reading intervention teacher which was implemented before school and during the school.  These programs resulted in marked student growth.
• Use of the Reading Lions Assessment.
• Beautification of our campus. The addition of flowers, US Map, and new tile wall in front of the school added to the pleasant ambiance of our school.
• Purchase of risers and new sound system for MPR.
• Increased staff involvement with PTA/Family activities.
• Grade level teams shared responsibility for all students by forming flexible groupings.
• Increased collaboration between general education and special education.
• Increased differentiation for all students.
• Continued Implementation of the Write Away Lab for fourth and fifth grade students.
• Increased activity in Student Council.
• Enhanced School-wide Disaster Planning.
• Increased Professional Development
  • Increase in Student Teachers.
  • Professional Development School with Cal. State Fullerton-Hosted a day of observation during which time 50 students observed Tijeras Creek teachers teaching different models of instruction. 
• Increased academics in the cross-age buddy program.
• Recipient of the “Excellence In Education” Award from Cal State Fullerton.
• Purchase of 18 new laptop computers.

During the summer, the teachers and I worked to establish our staff development calendar for the 2008-2009 school year.  We are most grateful to our PTA for funding our staff development program. Because of the efforts of the PTA the entire teaching staff will have books for a school-wide professional book study and new comprehension toolkits for our primary teachers.   On August 27^th you will find the Tijeras Creek teachers giving up their own time to return to school a day early to participate in a school-wide staff development day focused on reading. (This is just another example of their commitment to your children.)   Our Banked Minutes schedule this year will also provide us time for staff development in the area of reading, checking for understanding through the use of formative assessments, training on the use of the new Standards Based Report Card, as well as time for reflection to continue to implement school-wide the AAA Model of Differentiation with Depth and Complexity.  As continuous learners, our goal is to constantly improve teaching and learning at Tijeras Creek and we have plans to do just that.  Our Banked Minutes day will be Wednesday this year.  Our scholars will be dismissed most Wednesdays at 12:50. (They will be dismissed at 11:50 for one Back to School Night and one Open House.)  The normal dismissal time for Wednesday will be 12:50.

Our PTA Executive Board has also been meeting during the summer to plan exciting programs for Tijeras Creek students and their families.  I encourage all of you to join the PTA and get involved in helping the school. Our Ice Cream Social will be held on Thursday, August 28^th from 5:30-7:00 p.m.  This will be a wonderful opportunity to find out who your child’s teacher will be this year, sign up for PTA, purchase spirit wear, welcome back our returning students and greet our new trailblazers and their families.

Enjoy the rest of your summer vacation and I look forward to seeing all of you at our Ice Cream Social on August 28^th.  This special event will begin at 5:30 p.m. and end at 7:00 p.m. Please also mark your calendars to attend Back To School Night. I am enclosing the dates of Back To School Nights which will be held at varying times and days to accommodate parking for parents and provide time for parents to meet their child’s teacher and visit classrooms.

It has been a privilege and honor working with all of you during our five years together at Tijeras Creek. Our vision for 2008-09 is to continue to create a “community of scholars”, to ensure that all students meet the challenging academic standards, foster a love of learning, promote intellectual curiosity, and develop leadership and interpersonal skills. Together, I know that we will provide an excellent educational environment for your children.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Diann Buckingham

Principal

INCREASE IN DISTRICT LUNCH PRICES ~ Click here for School Lunch Information

Increase in District Lunch Prices Due to increased fuel and food costs, Food Services proposed to the Board increases in lunch meal prices; hence, the increases were approved in May.   They are as follows:

Breakfast       Lunch

Elementary      $1.50           $2.25

Secondary       $1.75           $2.75

Dear Parent Volunteers,

This year we have a new volunteer policy that will be in place starting this month.  All parents who volunteer at any CUSD school will be asked to comply with the new requirements before they can volunteer in the classroom.  Please read the notice below.    Summer is a good time to take care of the new health & safety volunteer requirements.  Please take care of this as soon as possible if you plan to volunteer in the classroom.  We love and need our parent volunteers at Tijeras Creek and we do not want to turn your help away.     

 Thank you!

Revised Policy for Volunteers

While the CUSD Board of Trustees encourages parents, guardians, senior citizens and other members of the community to share their time, knowledge and abilities with students, the safety and security of the children is the primary concern of our school district.

At the School Board meeting on April 21, 2008, the Trustees approved a revision to Board Policy 1240 – Volunteer Assistance, which will require volunteers who work closely with children on a regular basis to present a clear tuberculosis test and a criminal records clearance. This process which will include LiveScan finger printing and criminal records check by the Department of Justice, a check of the Megan’s Law Website, and a tuberculosis test.

Volunteers who are on campus for a single event (such as Fall Run or Family Night), or whose duties do not include contact with students (for example: registration packet assembly or copying) will not have to have fingerprint or TB testing, but all volunteers will have the Megan’s Law check. It will be up to the discretion of the individual site administrator (principal) to determine which volunteer activities will require full screening.

There are Volunteer Application packets available in the school office. Once screened, volunteers will be issued a special a special colored ID card which will be accepted at all CUSD schools. The criminal background check needs only to be done once but the TB test will need to be repeated every 4 years. The cost of the DOJ criminal check (approximately $40 – $50) and the TB Test ($10 - $20) will not be covered by the school site or the district. 

For additional detailed information, go to the District’s website: www.capousd.org, and go to the alphabetical listing and click on Volunteers.   You will find the Volunteer Application and the Volunteer Handbook, as well as suggested locations for LiveScan fingerprinting and low-cost TB testing.

This policy is effective starting July 1^st, 2008. Volunteers are encouraged to have the screening as soon as possible in preparation for next school year. Remember that this is for the safety and security of our   students.