Message fromMrs. Van Gorden:I had the pleasure of seeing writers workshop in action in several classrooms this week. This curriculum is unique in that it encourages students to build writing stamina over time. The recommendation of the program is that a student who has experienced writers workshop for a few years will have the stamina to write continuously for one hour by the fifth grade. When we write, we are constructing and revising our thinking over and over, so writing is not “just writing”, but it truly is critical thinking, and to see even the Kindergarten students begin to build up this type of stamina is very exciting.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Craig Baker, our new superintendent. He was warm and welcoming, and I look forward to working with him and to having him visit our campus in November.

In school safety news, this week I’ve witnessed two separate incidents of parents driving their car into the wrong end of the Muir loading zone loop during pick-up hours. It is clearly marked with a DO NOT ENTER sign. Obviously, this is very dangerous. Please be as careful as you possibly can when approaching and leaving campus. We would rather you be late to pick up your child than to risk hurting someone to get here on time.

September 24 - 30 - Book Fair in the GLC September 28 - International Night Potluck 5:30 - 7:00 October 3 - PTA Dineout Fundraiser at Boudins October 5 - PTA Meeting in the GLC October 5 - 13 - Teacher/Parent Conferences *****EARLY DISMISSAL at 1:10pm***** October 12 - Bud White School Pictures October 16 - NO SCHOOL - Staff Non-Work Day October 20 - TK/K Field Trip to Prusch Farm October 21 - Harvest Festival - 4-7PM

CALENDAR

INTERNATIONALPOTLUCK

Don’t  forget  that  our  Interna/onal  Potluck  will  be  next  Thursday,  September  28th.    This  event  will  only  be  successful  with  YOU!    Food  sign-­‐up  sheets  are  on  the  classroom  doors.  Whatever  dish  you  bring  should  feed  10-­‐12  people.    

I hope to see you all at next week’s Book Fair and International Potluck. These are very FUN community events that also raise money for Muir’s unique programs.

Regards,Adrienne

MUIR MEMOSSEPTEMBER 21, 2017

https://www.cusdk8.org/muir

2017-2018JOHN MUIR ELEMENTARY Cupertino Union School District

6560 Hanover Drive San Jose, CA 95129 (408) 252-5265 phone (408) 253-3116 fax

Superintendent: Dr. Craig Baker

Principal: Adrienne Van Gorden

Board of Education: Liang Chao, Anjali Kausar, Kristen Lyn, Soma McCandless & Phyllis Vogel

PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCESPlease mark your calendars for the upcoming goal setting conferences.

October 5th - 13th

Dismissal time for all Grades, TK-5th, is 1:10 PM. Please arrange to have your child picked up promptly at dismissal time.

Recess - 10:10 - 10:30

Lunch - Grades 1-3 - 11:45 - 12:15

Lunch - Graades TK, K, 4-5 - 12:00 - 12:30

Dismissal - 1:10 PM

To ensure parent conferences run smoothly, please check to make sure you can attend at your scheduled time. It is very difficult to reschedule last minute. It is also important that you show up on time as teachers have to adhere to a strict schedule so that they

can give every parent time to discuss their child’s progress in the classroom. If you arrive late, you may have to reschedule your appointment.

PROJECT CORNERSTONEWe want to especially thank parent Jane Wang for volunteering to be our school’s Project Cornerstone Coordinator, and let you know that EVERY classroom has a reader! Thank you parents!!

ABC is Project Cornerstone’s parent engagement program. Parents are trained in the developmental assets model for positive youth development, and prepared to read a specially selected children’s book and lead related activities and discussions in classrooms each month. Starting next month look for the Project Cornerstone parent letter to come home with your child.

RemindersEvery Tuesday all grades are d i s m i s s e d a t 2 : 0 0 p m . Students should be picked up promptly.ATTENDANCE - If your child will be absent, please call 408-252-5265 ext. 6 by 9 : 0 0 a m t o r e p o r t t h e absence.

All visitors on campus should stop by the office to sign in and get a visitor badge.PRE-PAY FOR CUSD LUNCHES at https://family.titank12.com/Playg rounds are c losed before school and until school is out at 3:05. Families can wait under the hut for older siblings.

STUDENT COUNCIL ELECTIONSWe would like to congratulate all Student Council candidates for being part of the process. They have all shown leadership skills, taken the initiative to talk to others and share their ideas, and will continue to be leaders on our campus in many ways. Please remember to congratulate all candidates on a job well done!

The following students have been elected as our 2017-2018 John Muir Student Council Officers:

Treasurer - Pranav P.

Secretary - Dorothy K.

Vice President - Alex A.

President - Grace K.

PTA MEETING - October 5thWe had a great turn out at our first PTA meeting earlier this month! We hope that you will continue to attend the meetings and be involved. Join the Board for the next PTA Meeting on Thursday, October 5th, in the GLC at 7:00 PM.   As always, childcare will be provided by the Lynbrook YAK Club. We look forward to seeing everyone there!

Questions about the PTA can be emailed to our President, Rachel Kirk, at rayanne7826@gmail.com

BOOK FAIRThe Book Fair will be open next week, September 25-28! This is a great time to get fun, affordable books, and raise money for the John Muir library at the same time. The Book Fair is open during recess, lunch, after school and will also be open the evening of the International Potluck.

HARVEST FESTIVALThe Harvest Festival is scheduled for the evening of Saturday, October 21st. Thank you to all the parents who signed up to help, either at a booth or another job. Emails were sent out if you signed up. On Tuesday, September 26th, at 2:15pm there will be a Harvest Festival planning meeting in room 17. If you would like to be involved in the planning process, or have some fun creative ideas, please come to this meeting.

Some classes are still missing a parent to run their classroom’s booth. We still need parents to run booths for rooms 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 13, and 18. This would involve coming up with a game idea (or using one of the PTA’s games) and staffing the booth during the Harvest Festival. If you would like to help with your child’s classroom booth, please contact Akilyn at rostege@sbcglobal.net FRIDAY POPSICLESDon’t forget that every Friday after school, the PTA sells popsicles for just $1 in front of the office!

PTA NEWS

DINE OUT FUNDRAISER AT BOUDIN SF WEST VALLEY

Dine & Make a Difference! Dine out at Boudin at 5245 Prospect Rd. in San Jose, and 30% of sales generated will go to the

John Muir PTA. This applies to both Dine-In and TO GO purchases (not Online though).

Bring in the flyer or show it on your mobile device between the hours of 4-9 PM on

Tuesday, October 3rd.

International PotluckHave you signed up yet??!!

The International Potluck is quickly approaching! What are you bringing? Sign up sheets are on the classroom doors and in the

office. You can bring a dish that represents your culture, or any of your favorite foods.

Remember that everyone that attends the potluck should bring something to share, or we

will not have enough food.

PLEASE COME

TO OUR BOOK FAIR!

We invite you to visit our PTA sponsored Book Fair and experience a celebration of reading that provides families the opportunity to get involved in a universal mission: encouraging kids to read every day so they can lead better lives. Our Book Fair is part of a reading event that brings to school a wonderful selection of fun, engaging, and affordable books kids want to read. Please make plans to visit our Book Fair. Dates: Monday September 25 to Friday September 29

Place: In the GLC

Time: Recess, Lunch, After School & during International Night

The “Guessing Game” will be held between 10:00am and 3:30pm every day of the Fair (10:00am-2:30pm on Tuesday). Winners of the guessing game will be announced during the morning announcements on the following day. Each winner gets a free poster from those put up for display at the Fair. Want to share your love for books and foster the idea of giving? Our “All for Books” program is a wonderful way to do this. You will also have the opportunity to add to your child's classroom library through our Teacher Wish Lists, which will be available at the Book Fair. We hope you will stop by. If you are too busy during Book Fair week or just want to keep shopping, be sure to visit the Book Fair online at http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/muirelemsch1 which runs from September 14 to October 1. Here, you will find an expanded book selection and free shipping.

We look forward to having you participate in our Book Fair, and remember, all profits benefit our school!

Dear Families, Our school is collecting funds for our All For Books program. By donating $5 or more, you help us:

• Purchase books for classroom libraries • Give more children easier access to books • Help get more kids reading, and kids reading more

The All For Books money we collect also helps readers beyond our school and community. Scholastic matches monetary donations with a donation of up to $1 million in books from The Scholastic Possible Fund, which distributes books to children in need. Please donate $5 or more and sign the attached Book Slip with your child's name and room number. You may cut out and have your child color the Book Slip. All signed slips will be displayed at our Book Fair. Please send your donation and signed paper book slip back to school with your child. On behalf of the students and teachers of John Muir Elementary, Thank You! Sincerely, Adrienne Van Gordon ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CEEF 5K Run RecapThanks to our sponsors and more than 1,100 amazing runners and walkers from age 1 to 101, we raised more than $40,000 to support music for grade TK-8 in CUSD! You can still donate gently used instruments to CEEF for use by CUSD students or make a donation at www.ceefcares.org.

Check out all of our amazing photos at: https://cupertinorotary.smugmug.com/CEEF-2017-08-26/n-VGmh2Q/

Congratulations to the winners and participants! Find you and your friends here: http://georesults.racemine.com/Cupertino-Educational-Endowment-Foundation/events/2017/Cupertino-Educational-Endowment-Foundation-5K-2017/results

Thank you to our sponsors, including Molex, Apple Inc., California Water Service, ChargePoint, KT Urban, Star One Credit Union, Aedis Architects, Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs (APAPA), Best Brains of Cupertino, Canon Music, Manu Real Estate, Nisha Sharma Homes - Intero Real Estate Services, Mary Tan Realty Team, South Bay Kids Dentistry, Walk-Bike Cupertino, and Alameda Family Funeral & Cremation! See you all next year!!

Save the Date: March 3, 2018 - Annual CEEF Gala to Honor CUSD Teachers of the Yea

15th Annual Bay Area Diwali – Festival of LightsSaturday, September 30, 2017Memorial Park, Cupertino11am - 6pmThe fifteen Annual Bay Area Diwali-Festival of Lights will be held at Memorial Park in Cupertino on Saturday, September 30, 2017, from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. Organized by the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce and its Asian American Business Council (AABC), festivities include a wonderful feast of food, business and craft booths, music and dance including a traditional Rangoli display. Admission and parking are free!Diwali is a traditional Indian festival of thanksgiving – it celebrates the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, hope over despair, and good over evil. Celebrated throughout the world, typical Diwali traditions include family and friends gathering to light lamps, exchanging gifts, new clothes, meeting new and old friends, and offering traditional sweets.This year the festival stage opens at 11am with the grand opening ceremony at 12 noon. There will be a special fashion show featuring the sarees of India, in addition to classical dances from the various regions of India and the popular Bollywood dances. You will have the opportunity to learn a Bollywood number. The elaborate and exciting Kids Zone is packed throughout the day with children visiting the magic show, petting zoo, pony rides, jump houses, face painting, Diwali storytelling time and opportunity to take pictures with Hanuman & Ravan.The AABC promotes, strengthens and enhances the inter-ethnic business environment in the Cupertino and neighboring communities. For 15 years, the Diwali Festival has proven an excellent way to build connections among all the businesses and residents of Cupertino.For more information about the festival or membership in the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce and the Asian American Business Council, please contact the Chamber in Cupertino at 408-252-7054 or visit the Chamber’s website http://www.cupertino-chamber.org/Diwali.

DISTRICT NEWS

CUSD Encourages All Families to Review the Attached Safety Tips

Please take a minute to review the attached document which lists key safety tips for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians. It is important to review this information with your children as well. By incorporating these safety tips into your daily routines, your children will learn safe habits that will last a lifetime. You can also help us improve safety and reduce congestion along the school commute routes by choosing alternatives to commuting by vehicle alone whenever possible. Biking and walking to school provides a healthy alternative for the family. Carpooling with a neighbor also helps the reduction of traffic in and around the schools. Check at your child's school to see what Safe Routes to School programs and Initiatives are currently in place at your school and consider volunteering to support!

If you would like to receive email information about meetings and activities related to Safe Routes to School, please provide us with contact information through the following link. We will do our best to notify you of upcoming calendared events that we know of in the surrounding cities (Cupertino, Los Altos, San Jose, Santa Clara, Saratoga and Sunnyvale).

2017-2018 SCHOOL CALENDAR

October 16, 2017 Staff Non-Work Day November 10, 2017 Veterans’ Day Observed November 20-24, 2017 Thanksgiving Recess December 18, 2017 - January 1, 2018 Winter Recess January 15, 2018 Martin Luther King Day January 26, 2018 Staff Learning Day February 19-23, 2018 Mid-Year Recess April 16020, 2018 Spring Recess May 18, 2018 Staff Non-Work Day May 28, 2018 Memorial Day June 7, 2018 Last Day of School

Safe Routes to School Tips

Share the road safely with all other users, no matter how you choose to get to and from school. Use extra caution near younger students walking or biking to school.

Obey adult crossing guards. They are there to help everyone cross congested intersections safely. Bike Safely

Be predictable. Obey all stop signs and traffic signals. Never ride the wrong way. The best way to avoid crashes as well as traffic tickets is to follow the same rules of the road that apply to car drivers. Be alert. Watch out for drivers turning left or right, and for drivers coming out of driveways. Avoid car doors opening in front of you by riding outside of the door zone. Yield to pedestrians. Wear your helmet and buckle it every time. It's the law. To best protect your brain, your helmet must fit properly: snug and level on your head, just above your eyebrows. Be visible. Use a bright headlight and taillight at night.

Avoid texting, phone calls, or listening to music while biking.

Drive Safely

Slow down and use extra caution in school zones and along commute routes! Signal your turns and yield to pedestrians.

Help reduce traffic congestion near schools by carpooling with a neighbor whenever possible. Avoid the last minute rush.

Obey adult crossing guards and "No Right Turn on Red" signs posted at designated school intersections. This allows students to cross safely when no cars are turning through crosswalks.

Avoid making U-turns and other unsafe maneuvers that put other road users at risk.

When dropping off or picking up your student, follow school guidelines and always ensure that he/she exits or enters the car from the curb side.

Never double park or block access ramps. Never park or stop where prohibited such as in _ rezones. Do not leave your car unattended in white loading zones.

Avoid texting, phone calls and other distractions when driving.

Report traffic collisions to 911.

For non-emergency incidents contact 408-730-7180.

Walk or Skate Safely

Be alert. Look for cars coming from all directions before entering the street - including from behind you.

Cross at corners and crosswalks. This is where drivers expect to see pedestrians.

Don't assume drivers see you. Make eye contact before crossing intersections.

Share the Path Safely

Pedestrians have the right of way on walkways and paths. Give an audible warning when you pass on your bicycle.

Keep to the right and pass on the left.

For traffic concerns contact 408-730-7109 Visit the Public Safety website at

http://sunnyvale.ca.gov/departments/publicsafety.aspx

We welcome volunteers to help with Safe Routes to School events and programs! Contact

your school SRTS Coordinator or contact us at:

Walk & Roll Safe Routes to School in Sunnyvale (408) 730-7191

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