November 1, 2006

School Scene

Fammatre enjoys new playground, plans for holiday boutique

With many hours of fund-raising and planning behind them, the Fammatre Home and School Club officially opened a new playground in August, welcoming the students back to school and the discovery of several exciting new play structures.

During recess, students can be seen enjoying the new climbing apparatus, with the state-of-the-art Space Net often filled to capacity. Of equal popularity are the "step ladder" and "overhead twister" structures that improve upper body strength and coordination.

Fammatre students actively play on the new structures on their playground. The Home and School Club’s fund-raising purchased the equipment.

Last year's Home and School Club president, Denise Egan, was part of the committee to research and see the project to fruition. She says that she is "proud to be part of such an enthusiastic, proactive group of parents who all work together to make sure our children's school experience is positive and the best it can be."

Principal Midge Jambor, said this playground has been in the "dream stages for quite some time and that it’s very exciting to see what a perfect addition it has become for the school through lots of dedicated hard work on the collective part of many parents.

We really appreciate all the Home and School Club does to make Fammatre a wonderful school," she adds.

While the Home and School Club didn’t rely on one activity to make the money to purchase all that equipment, most of the students and parents, and even students who have gone on to middle school, enjoy the Holiday Boutique that the school holds annually.

This year is no exception. The third annual Holiday Boutique will be held Saturday, Dec. 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the school cafeteria at 2800 New Jersey Ave.

There’s something for everyone at the boutique from gifts to pictures with Santa to tasty food for snacking or for gifts, and, it’s all in one location. Chair Denise Egan says you can get your holiday shopping done early—something for everyone is guaranteed! Children’s toys, crafts, jewelry, candles, holiday wreaths, ornaments, door prizes and more are available at prices that won’t gouge your pocketbook. There’s a little of everything to charm even the most discerning of shoppers. To apply for a booth, or for more information, contact the school at (408) 377-5480.

Bagby Elementary receives OSH School Gardens Grant

Bagby Elementary School in San Jose has been selected to participate in the Orchard Supply Hardware (OSH) School Gardens Program, a statewide campaign to create or enhance school gardens. This initiative, which commemorates OSH ’s 75th anniversary, supports California schools in the effort to create hands-on learning experiences.

Nearly 300 schools throughout California applied to participate in the program. Each of OSH ’s 86 stores will partner with a selected local school, and donate up to $1,000 in supplies, plants, tools and other materials, as well as gardening expertise, to help create and maintain the garden. Schools will also be provided with curriculum packets, prepared by the California Department of Education, to facilitate a successful implementation of the program in the classroom and in the garden.

Bagby was selected as a grant recipient based on the strength of its school garden curriculum, its school wide commitment to develop and use the garden, its plan to sustain it as a valuable educational tool and the broad involvement of students and staff in the program. This selection criteria was established by OSH in partnership with the California Department of Education.

Promoted by the California Departments of Education and Food & Agriculture as a valuable learning tool, school gardens can be used to teach children lessons in life sciences, reading, history, math and spatial skills. They can also help foster good health as children learn the links between plants, gardening, food and health.

On Sept. 25, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into legislation California Assembly Bill No. 1535 (the Núñez Bill), which appropriates $15 million in the state budget for instructional school garden programs. OSH will support the state’s efforts by encouraging each school that applies for participation in the OSH School Gardens Program to apply for additional funding under the new legislation.

“The goals of both the OSH School Gardens Program and the state’s new bill are similar and can be leveraged to help provide and sustain school gardens as a powerful instructional tool,” said OSH President and CEO Rob Lynch.

Other schools in Santa Clara County that have been selected to participate in the OSH School Gardens Program include Cherry Chase Elementary School in Sunnyvale, Cupertino High School, Julia Baldwin Elementary, Linda Vista Elementary, Success Academy and Tom Matsumoto Elementary in San Jose, Mariano Castro Elementary School in Mountain View, Robert Randall Elementary School in Milpitas, Rosemary Elementary School in Campbell, and South Valley Middle School in Gilroy.

About Orchard Supply Hardware
Orchard Supply Hardware (OSH), headquartered in San Jose, is a leading chain of home improvement and garden retail stores with 86 locations throughout California. OSH has a rich heritage, starting as a farmers’ cooperative in 1931. For the past 75 years, OSH has been committed to offering its customers legendary service, selection and convenience. For more information, visit the company’s website at http://www.osh.com.

California schools celebrate Red Ribbon Week

Enrique “Kiki” Camarena grew up in the border town of Calexico, Calif. where he graduated from the local high school. He married his longtime sweetheart, and eventually had three wonderful sons.

After graduating from high school, Kiki earned a degree in criminal justice, became a United States Marine and served the Calexico community as a fire fighter and police officer. He had always wanted to get involved in the fight against drugs, so he became a DEA special agent in 1974.

In 1980, the Camarena family moved to Guadalajara, Mexico where Kiki found himself fighting on the front lines of international drug trafficking. On Feb. 7, 1985, Kiki was kidnapped, tortured and brutally murdered by the very drug traffickers that he was so successfully managing to bring down.

That would be the last time that anyone would ever see or hear from Enrique Camarena again. On March 5, 1985, Kiki’s body was discovered. He was only 37 years old. The events surrounding Special Agent Kiki Camarena’s murder sparked a grass roots campaign to reduce the demand for drugs and encourage a healthy, violence free lifestyle across the United States.

The Red Ribbon Week Celebration serves as a symbol of the drug- and alcohol-free lives and communities that Kiki lived and died for. This tragic event produced an immediate outpouring of grief that over time has evolved into a sense of hope and empowerment across America. The Nationwide Red Ribbon celebration has grown stronger and gained more recognition each year. Because of its growing impact, more people, especially youths, are choosing to say no to drugs and alcohol and yes to leading a safe, healthy and productive way of life.

The California Red Ribbon Coalition is comprised of members of various state and national agencies and organizations. They held a Statewide Red Ribbon kickoff celebration on Oct. 23 with students and special guests. Speakers included Kathy Jett of the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs, a representative from the California Department of Education, a representative of the Sacramento Police Department, DEA ASAC Gordon Taylor, Jon Sundt (founder) of the Sundt Memorial Foundation and many more.

The sponsors of Red Ribbon Week are the California Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, the California Department of Education, Californians for Drug-Free Youth (CADFY), the California Friday Night Live Partnership, the California National Guard, the California Parent-Teacher Association, the California Department of Justice, the Office of the California Attorney General ,The Partnership for a Drug-Free America®, California Chapter, the Sundt Memorial Foundation, the Enrique S. Camarena Educational Foundation and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Willow Glen Elementary celebrates recognition as a California Distinguished School

The San Jose Unified School District held a special celebration in late September to recognize Willow Glen Elementary’s new status as a California Distinguished School.

“These schools are the best of the best. They share a vision of excellence and they have brought that vision to life,” said Jack O’Connell, the state superintendent of Public Instruction. He called Willow Glen Elementary Principal Dayle D’Anna personally on May 1 to tell her the news.

“Hearing the excitement and the pride in her voice was incredible. These deserving school leaders and their teachers, staffs and students have worked extremely hard to achieve academic success and this recognition. From listening to their stories, it is obvious they are all deeply committed to ensuring their children have every opportunity to learn. They are truly examples of excellence,” he said.

The recognition was received based on scores from the 2005 API data. Not resting on its laurels, this year Willow Glen Elementary continued to increase it’s 2006 API scores, with an increase of 22 points to 778. The school community is setting high expectations for teaching and learning and doing a tremendous job of educating all children.