Pacific Pawprints - December 14, 2010

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Dear Pacific Parents and Guardians,
It’s difficult to believe that 2010 is quickly coming to an end. The staff at Pacific School is very thankful for your support and for your wonderful children. Your enthusiasm, dedication, and involvement are greatly appreciated. As winter vacation is fast approaching, I want to remind you that all students need to be in school until December 17th and back in school on January 3rd. If a vacation is extended, it is difficult for students to “catch up” on what the class has accomplished in their absences. Literature discussions, book clubs, science experiments, math centers or classroom meetings cannot be accomplished at home or on vacation. Pacific teachers make every minute count! Please make student attendance a priority. As we take stock of 2010, I hope that you will cherish the remaining days and moments of traditions with family and friends and the joy of togetherness. These moments are the things that your children remember forever - so plan a day of enjoying sunshine at the beach, of stomping through puddles, and an evening of snuggling with popcorn and hot chocolate. On behalf of the Pacific staff, we wish you a joyous Holiday season and a Healthy New Year. We look forward to seeing our Panthers, “bright and early”, in 2011. Let’s make the resolution to start 2011 without tardies and absences!
 
Happy Winter Vacation!
 
Debbie Mabry
Principal
 
 
As I listen to students, parents and employees in our district community, one of the most frequent topics of interest and concern is technology.  While there is excitement about new technology in the classrooms, there is concern about the speed of our Internet service and support for technology, and questions about where we go next.  I thought I would give you some information and some plans we have for next steps.
 
 1.      Many of our teachers have embraced technology in the classroom: SMARTBoards, LCD Projectors, Illuminate, Teacher Websites, Ed-Line, IXL Math, Shared U-Drive, and many other examples improve learning for our students and provide means for improved parent involvement.  Thanks to all of you who have made the effort to learn about and implement that technology.
2.              Our Internet service is slow – but it will get faster.  We have a new year’s gift coming soon.   Our bandwidth is going to dramatically increase, by 1,000% to 1,500%, in mid-January.  You should definitely notice a difference.  (Hooray!)
3.              While we have significantly increased the use of technology in our schools, we have decreased the number of employees who keep that technology working.  I know the budget is extraordinarily challenging, but this is an area where almost everyone is negatively impacted.
4.              Our current technology plan does not address critical issues, nor does it map where we are going in technology.  The District is creating a district-wide technology committee that will have its first meeting this month.  Each school will be represented and we will discuss how we plan to use and support technology over the next five years. 
 
So let’s look forward to improving our Internet speed by next month, and to quickly making a plan that will guide us for the years to come.  I will keep you posted.  And I’m always listening to your ideas, so please give me your input. 
 
Dr. Mike Matthews
 
 
 
PUBLIC EDUCATION --- PARTNERSHIP ---PASSION
 
Dear Panther Families -
 
It’s been just over five months on the job and we can honestly say we have been enjoying our experience as co-presidents. Most of all, we are thankful for the support and involvement we have received from the Pacific community and that of our dedicated Board members.
 
As we are rapidly coming to a close for 2010, we wanted to update you on the things the PTA has accomplished this school year and give you a perspective of what is to come.
 
First, thank you for joining the PTA. We had 99% participation, which is phenomenal!
 
But, we also appreciate the TIME so many of our volunteers give to our organization:
  •  successfully completing some wonderful FUNraisers - Popsicle with the Principal, Pride Day, Science Night, and the Halloween Parade
  •  distributing the School Directory … early
  •  organizing and giving generously to the Richstone Food Drive, Adopt a Family and the Ronald McDonald House Toy Drive.
 
The PTA has used your money to not only to pay for our usual on-going classroom supplies, computer software and supplies, but some other PTA sponsored activities we would like to highlight are:
  • schoolwide and grade level assemblies: the first school-wide assembly (Asha Baba), dancing with Ms. Dulce (Kinder) and Walk Through California (4thgrade).
  • the creation and implementation of a brand new ‘Pacificschool.com’ web-site,
  • a redesigned Pawprints to be a Bi-Weekly Publication where the students write more than 75% of each issue, 
  • a Panther Ranger program to provide the opportunity to teach a group of students about California Native plants and the environment,
  • supported the launch of three Pacific Odyssey of the Mind teams,
  • the purchase of new PE Equipment, new Playground Equipment,
  • the purchase of responders for 5th Graders and a Smartboard for PLC.
 
With your support, we have had very successful fundraisers with our Movie Night, Hometown Fair booths, Ice Cream Social, Gift Wrap sales, and the Book Fair.  Many have signed up for the Ralph’s Rewards program and we encourage you to do so if you have not had a chance.
 
We hope that you will continue to show your support in the events scheduled in 2011. Please mark your calendars and join us for:
·      54th Street School Supplies Drive - January
·      The Pacific Talent Show – February 11th
·      Access Book Drive - February
·      The Parent Party – March 19th
·      Jog-a-thon – April 22nd
·      Helping Hands Clothing Drive – April
·      Volunteer Thank You Brunch – June 9th
·      Kinderthon – June 17th
 
If you are interested in other ways to get involved, please be sure to let us know as we are looking ahead and are in need of  dynamic volunteers to be on the board or chair some of our committees for next year (Parent Party, Scrip, Helping Hands/Adopt-a-Family, Reflections Art, and more).
 
Thank you for your continued support. We are all working hard to ensure we are exceeding expectations for the year.
 
We hope you enjoy your vacation with family and friends.
 
Happy Holiday & Joyous New Year!
Kay & Kristi
 
 
 
Pacific Avenue in front of Pacific Elementary School may be closed this Thursday, 12/16, & Friday, 12/17, due to the Manhattan Beach Water Main Replacement. Please allow for extra time for dropping off and picking up your children.

 

Friday, 12/17/10
All 1st and 2nd Graders will be Early Birds (8:15 am – 2:05 pm)
    Pajama Day - Wear your favorite PJ's to school on Friday, 12/17/10. Please remember to wear appropriate school shoes with your pajamas.
December 20th – January 2nd – SCHOOL CLOSED. School resumes on Monday, January 3rd. 
 
 
Ronald McDonald House Toy Drive
     by: Sarah C./4th Grade
 
It was the first Saturday in December as we gathered both of the Pacific School fourth grade Girl Scout troops (#155 & #6045) to go to the Los Angeles Ronald McDonald House. The house is located across the street from Children's Hospital. It is a temporary home for sick children who are seeing doctors and getting treatment at Children's hospital. The families don't have much money and normally they have about 240 children in residence.
 
We arrived to serve a dinner meal, provide arts and crafts, and sing for the families. While our moms and one dad worked in the kitchen the girl scouts helped prepare desserts and side dishes for everyone. I met a little boy named Ezekiel. He was so cute with his brown hair and long eyelashes. He is waiting for a bone marrow transplant.  I also met a little girl named Anne who was 7 years old. She has a disease called leukemia and she felt very tired all the time. Our Pacific students all enjoyed making ornaments and holiday frames with kids at the craft table. Most of the kids just seemed to need a little extra help that's all. We were glad to share our craft talents with them.  At 6:30 the Christmas carolers arrived. They sang Holiday carols and performed with puppets. We were all laughing and singing together. Sadly, it was time to go. I gave Anne and Ezekiel one last hug goodbye. They both smiled. I knew we would back in two weeks to bring toys collected during Pacific School's annual toy drive. I am hoping everyone will give toys so we can bring smiles to those amazing kids. 
 
They just need a little help from us at Pacific School. So please donate toys today!
 
 
 
 The 33rd Annual Neptunian Art Contest
 
Entry forms for Neptunian Woman's Club Art Contest are located in the school office for all students who wish to participate. This year's poster features the three Neptunian winners whose works eventually won at the State level. Oil, watercolor, pastels and acrylics submissions will be accepted for grades K through 12th. Photographic works are for grades 6th through 12th only. All submissions are due into the school office by January 18th, 2011. The Neptunian Art Tea will recognize winners and award prizes on Tuesday, February 15th, 2011. The Marina District Contest will be held on Friday, March 18th, 2011. If you have further questions or need additional entry forms, please contact Sue Navarro at suenav@gmail.com, or (310) 379-3855. Thank you, Sue Navarro, Neptunian Art Chair.
 
 Neptunian Writing Contest
The Neptunian Woman's Club of Manhattan Beach is holding a Student Writing Contest.  Please click here for more information.
 
 
 MBEF Still Needs Your Help!
 
Pacific is currently at 68% family participation.  Our goal is to reach 100% participation from all Pacific families.
 
Why should I give?
* Together we can keep our schools one of the top 3 in CA.
* Together we can keep our classes small and maintain our quality enrichment programs.
* The State continues to cut our education budget.
* A donation is an investment in your child's education and your community.How much should I give?
* $1250 per child.  Please give more if you can, less if you can't.
 
How do I give?
* Donate or pledge at www.mbef.com
* Donation envelopes are available in the school office.Thank you for continuing to support MBEF!
  
 
 Thank you so much to all the fabulous helping hand chairs... These events make the  holidays so much more meaningful to the people who are really in need.
 
* Thank you Constance Arbab for coordinating the food drive. So many needy people received food at such an important time.  
 
* Thank you Karla Cameron and Staci Carey for chairing the toy drive. Children who would not have received toys did because of your efforts. 
 
* Thank you Hildy Stern for heading up the adopt a family event.  Year after year you organize an amazing program so that our children can actually be a part of the giving.
 
You all are wonderful and we are so thankful to have you in our Pacific family.
 
 
   Thank you Jr. Rangers & Families


 Thank you to all the Pacific Panthers that came out this Saturday morning and helped plant the hill (at the lower playground)! More than 45 parents and students came with gloves & tools and dug in! They cleaned, shoveled, dug up, planted and watered more than 90 plants. It was a wonderful sight to see.
A huge thank you to Ms. Jackson (4th grade teacher and Junior Ranger's Chair) for leading us in this endeaver. We appreciate your time, talents and dedication that you continue to share with us. We look forward to watching our kids and new plants grow under your teaching.
 
Be sure to stop by and check out the newly planted hill....but please keep off as these plants are just getting settled and are very vulnerable. 
 
 
 Interview with Mrs. Hildy Stern
by Jack W. and John M., 5th Grade
 
We recently interviewed Pacific parent, Mrs. Hildy Stern, of the Helping Hands Committee. She met us at our set time and answered our questions with nice, long answers. We hope you enjoy our article as much as we enjoyed interviewing Mrs. Stern.
 
John:  How many families will be helped this year at Richstone?
Mrs. Stern: 25 families will be helped this year at Richstone.
 
Jack: Is the Richstone Center only running programs during the holiday season?
Mrs. Stern: The Richstone Center is an organization that goes on all year long, because the families need help all year.
 
John: What inspired you to head up this project and to volunteer?
Mrs. Stern: Being a chairperson on the Helping Hands Committee inspired me to volunteer.
 
Jack: How does it feel to help families not as privileged as us?
Mrs. Stern: I feel that it's important that people are always contributing in any way they can.  It feels great to know that you are making a difference in other people's lives.


John: What can students do to contribute?
Mrs. Stern: All of our students can collect things to give to the Richstone families. The school has food, clothes and book drives, and also school supply drives. The students at Pacific help organize the drives after school.
 
Jack: Since this is your last year with Adopt-A-Family, do you have plans to help another organization?
Mrs. Stern: I volunteer in many ways. I have of couple of projects at the middle school, I also have a group called The Family Support Group that I volunteer at. It’s similar to Adopt-A-Family, but it’s geared toward the middle school families.
 
John: How long has this program been going on at Pacific?
Mrs. Stern: The Helping Hands Committee has been active at Pacific for over 20 years.
 
Jack: Are there additional programs that the Richstone Center participates in?
Mrs. Stern: The Richstone Center provides a full range of services for families that have issues with abuse.
 
John: What is donated through the Adopt-A-Family program, what types of things are given?
Mrs. Stern: Things are donated to families who can’t afford Christmas presents, clothes, toys, shoes, backpacks, household supplies and tools.
 
Jack: If someone wanted to learn more about these other programs, who would they contact and how?
Mrs. Stern: They can go on the Richstone website: http://www.richstonefamily.org/, or contact the volunteer coordinator, Allison Tanaka.
 
We'd like to thank Mrs. Stern for giving up her precious time to answer our questions about the Richstone Center. And also for making the Adopt-A-Famly program such a success due to her outstanding efforts for the past 14 years, on behalf of the Pacific families. Thank You, Mrs. Stern!
 
 
 Getting to Know our Science Specialist, Miss Atia
by Molly G., Olivia T. and Sarah T., 4th Grade
 
On a bright, sunny Thursday afternoon, we had the wonderful opportunity to interview our Science Specialist, Miss Atia. Here are some of the things we learned:
 
Molly: When did you start to enjoy science?
Miss. Atia: I started to enjoy science when I was in college.
 
Olivia: What is your favorite science memory from elementary school?
Miss Atia: I liked it when I taught a class at my old school when we made a model volcano and it exploded.
 
Sarah: What made you want to become a scientist?
Miss Atia: I didn’t think I would like science, but in college I started liking it.
 
Molly: What made you decide to become a science teacher?
Miss Atia: My experience in college made me decide to be a science teacher, because my teacher thought I could do it and encouraged me.
 
Olivia: What is your favorite field of science you are most interested in and why?
Miss Atia: Astronomy because you can see millions and millions of different stars every night.
 
Sarah: What is your greatest science adventure?
Miss Atia: Doing zero gravity.
 
Molly: What is your favorite experiment that you have done?
Miss Atia: My favorite experiment that I have done was a mummified fish, in my old school, and it smelled very BAD!!!
 
Olivia: What do you like to do on Saturday mornings?
Miss Atia: I love to sleep and read in bed.
 
Sarah: What is your most successful experiment?
Miss Atia: The owl pellet dissection.
 
Molly: Who is your favorite scientist and why?
Miss Atia: My favorite scientist was Galileo because he is not the most popular scientist and because he believed in himself.  
 
Olivia: What kind of classes do you take when you’re not teaching?
Miss Atia: I am working on a Masters degree to teach physical science. In my classes, I learn fun experiments about science and then use them in the Pacific science lab.
 
Sarah: What is the biggest mistake you have made as a scientist?
Miss Atia: Not sealing a dead fish in the right container.
 
We had a fantastic time interviewing Miss Atia and discovering interesting things about her science career!
 
 
 Winter in Lake Tahoe
by Luke N., 2nd Grade, Mrs. Lautanen
 
It’s fun to play with snow
Throw snowballs at your "foe"
Dig tunnels, build forts
When you get cold you must abort
But now I've got to flee
Because I'm off to ski
 
 
 Christmas Time
by Dylan K., 2nd Grade, Mrs. Lautanen
 
Christmas Time is here
         It’s time for joy and cheer
Let’s gather around the Christmas tree
         Where there are presents for you and me
No matter how you celebrate
         I hope your holiday will be great
Christmas Time


 Cranberry Sauce
by Olivia T. and Anna M., 4th grade
 
Cranberry sauce, cranberry sauce,
What do you see?
I see some rosemary bread looking at me.
Rosemary bread, rosemary bread,
What do you see?
I see some butternut squash gazing at me.
Butternut squash, butternut squash,
What do you see?
I see some mashed potatoes glancing at me.
Mashed potatoes, mashed potatoes,
What do you see?
I see some gravy staring at me.
Gravy, gravy,
What do you see?
I see some stuffing watching me.
Stuffing, stuffing,
What do you see?
I see some turkey spying on me.
Turkey, turkey,
What do you see?
I see some children licking their lips at me.
Children, children,
What do you see?
We see the meal in our tummy!
YUMMY!
  
 Auntie Claus, author Elise Primavera
by Grace O., 2nd Grade, Miss Wallace
I liked this Christmas book. It is the story of Sophie, who is trying to find out who her fancy mysterious aunt is. The story takes place in New York and the North Pole. I like the illustrations because the characters have funny hairdos that look like Christmas trees. I thought the dog was funny too. My favorite part is when Chris Kringle's cheeks turned pink and his nose turned red. An elf named Mr. Pudding realized that she was on the good list and her brother was on the bad list. So she switched this for her brother. But she was really on stage. Everyone was cheering! Then Santa came and he said, “Come on my sleigh, Sophie. Ho ho ho!” The story is about the importance of giving to others rather than receiving things.


 
 How Chinese New Year and American New Year Are the Same
By Andrew S., 2nd Grade, Miss Peita
 
How would you like to be spoiled for one day? Children who celebrate Chinese New Year are treated very well on New Year’s Day because if they cry that means they cry for the whole year. This is a Chinese belief but is not an American belief. Chinese New Year and American New Year are different in many ways. Chinese New Year lasts 15 days and nights, and American New Year is one night and day. A third difference is the Chinese calendar takes 60 years to cycle, and the American calendar takes 12 months to cycle. A fourth difference is that Chinese people give red pockets with money inside to friends, family or others. Red is a special color because in a Chinese
story it scares a monster. Americans believe all the colors are good and don’t give money. A fifth difference is in China people clean their houses on New Year’s Eve. In America people don’t always clean on New Year’s Eve. The Chinese people sweep on New Year’s Eve so they sweep out all the bad luck that happened that year. They don’t sweep on New Year’s Day because they think that sweeps away the good luck. The two holidays are also the same in a few ways. They both have parties. They both have food and drinks. The Chinese people eat chicken, noodles, oranges and more. The food has special meanings, and the chicken equals happiness and marriage. The noodles mean to live a long life. Oranges mean wealth, and wealth means money. At American New Year’s Eve parties, they have lots of food and special drinks even though they don’t have special meaning. Chinese New Year is very fun, and American New Year is fun if kids get to
stay up and play the whole night.
 
December Holidays
by Olivia D., 5th Grade, Mrs. Krzmarzick
 
Many holidays are celebrated in December. Regardless of their culture, many people have a fair bit of knowledge about the “big three”: Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. However, I would like to give you more in depth information on these widely-celebrated holidays.
 
Christmas is a holiday that is celebrated by Christians and represents the birth of Jesus Christ. Although Christ’s exact birthday is unknown, Christmas is generally celebrated on December twenty-fifth. Christmas is not confined to a single country; instead it is celebrated world-wide! In the U.S., people celebrate by singing carols, putting up Christmas trees (commonly evergreens), putting up stockings for St. Nick to fill, exchanging gifts, baking cookies, and watching ABC’s 25 days of Christmas marathon. There are many more ways to celebrate Christmas. For example, in Mexico, children and parents alike participate in a large procession to recreate Mary and Joseph’s journey to the inn in Bethlehem. Some of the symbols of Christmas Eve are stars, three wise men, angels, and Santa Claus.
 
Another holiday that is celebrated in December is Hanukkah. Hanukkah is a Jewish celebration that marks the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem. The temple had been used by the enemy and the people who had once worshipped there wanted to make it holy again. The only problem was that the ceremony included burning oil for eight days and the people were low on oil. However, a miracle happened and the oil stayed lit for eight days. That is why Hanukkah is often referred to as the “Festival of Lights”, and people celebrate by lighting a candle on the menorah for each of the eight days. Other ways that people celebrate Hanukkah are by playing with a dreidel (a spinning top with an abbreviation for a Hebrew word on each side), making latkes (a type of potato pancake), and by cooking sufganiyot (a deep-fried pastry with filling). Also, some may celebrate by dancing the horah. Many think that Hanukah and the purpose of lighting the menorah is to enlighten others.
 
Kwanzaa is one of the few non-religious holidays in December. In 1966, Maulana Karenga created Kwanzaa to unite African-Americans and to celebrate their culture. However, this holiday was not created in Africa, but in the U.S. Kwanzaa is usually celebrated from December 26 to January 1st. Even though many African-Americans celebrate Kwanzaa, many do not. Kwanzaa celebrates the seven principles of Nguzo Saba which are Unity, Self-determination, Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity, and Faith. Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa are used to celebrate each and every one of these basic principles. The days are usually celebrated by lighting a candle on the kinera(candle holder) and drinking from the Unity Cup. The sixth day occurs on New Year’s Day and is special. Many people have a Kwanzaa Karamu, or feast. Some symbols of Kwanzaa are mkeka (a woven mat), the Unity Cup, crops, the kinera, and gifts. As you can see there are many amazing holidays in December that are celebrated world-wide.
 
 
 Things to Do During the Holiday Break
by Vicki M., 5th Grade


Laser Quest 
(714)449-0555
Fullerton
It is a large arena with gothic decor and kids play laser tag and video games.
 
Mission San Juan Capistrano
      (949)234-1300
San Juan Capistrano
A mission that the Spaniards established, and you can take tours of the mission.
 
California Science Center
(323) 724-3623
Los Angeles
Explore science and the mysteries of it, get tour and have fun at the amazing gift shop.
 
The Rock Gym
(562)981-3200
Long Beach
Kids, adults and families can rock climb and have fun while climbing the rock wall.
 
Sand Dune Park
(310)545-5621
Manhattan Beach
A huge sand dune which is fun for adults and kids. If you get tired, you can go to the beach and relax!
 
Fun Town
(818) 776-8309
Reseda
(no website)
Large meals and great arcade for kids. You can get tokens inexpensively and
let kids also have fun at paintball.
 
Air and Space Gallery
(213)744-7400
Los Angeles
 
 
 PawPoll


What are the hottest holiday gifts this year?  Pacific Panthers love technology!  Based on a poll by the Pawprints staff,  the top ten most popular gift requests by Pacific students are:


1. MacBook/laptop/computer
2. iPod touch
3. video games
4. iPhone
5. a real dog
6. books
7. iPad
8. guitar
9. clothes
10. legos
 
Thanks to staffer Anna M./4th Grader for this poll suggestion!
 
 
 
 Science Lab Logo Contest Winners!
 
The 4th and 5th graders were given the opportunity to create a logo for the Pacific Elementary Science Lab. We had over 20 amazing entries which made it very difficult to choose just one! When the science specialists from the all of the elementary schools met this week they narrowed it down to 2 really great entries. The science specialists had such a hard time choosing just one, so they decided to combine 2 entries into 1 awesome logo! I am pleased to announce the winners of the Science Lab Logo contest, fifth graders, Natalie R. & Sami J..
 
 
 
 Congratulations to the Pacific Odyssey of the Mind Teams!
 
On Sunday, December 5th, our three Pacific Odyssey of the Mind Teams participated in a Spontaneous Festival at the Stephen S. Wise Temple Elementary School in Los Angeles along with about 50 other teams in the L.A. region. The purpose of the event was to give the teams experience with 8 different "hands-on" problems. The "Blue Waves", Pacific's very own 1st & 2nd grade team, built the tallest structure in one of their problem. The team used tape, rubber bands, paperclips, cans and paper to build a tower that beat all of the others--including some middle schoolers!! The fourth grade team (The Infinity Group) soared building a bridge with multiple points of structural stability. In one of our 5th grade team's problem, they used shaving cream, straws, toothpicks, pennies and playdough to build the highest arch possible!
 
Congratulations to Emma C., Kaila B., Sophie N. and Gretchen and Kyle L. of the 1st and 2nd grade team; Sarah C., Riley F., Anna M., Kenzie P., Meera S., Ally K. and Nisha C. of our 4th grade team; and Bella N., Joseph C., Mackensie B., Max W., Maya S., Olivia D. and Zachary H. of the 5th grade team! Hours of training and preparation yielded outstanding results at the LA Basin event. . They will compete in the Regional Competition Feb. 26th.
 
Special thanks to the team members and families for all the hard work and dedication. Go Pacific!!!
 
 
 
 Congratulations to the Manhattan Beach “Girls on the Run”
 
We would like to congratulate the Manhattan Beach "Girls on the Run" team for their participation in the Say No to Drugs Holiday Classic 5K race on December 5th at Universal Studios. 
There were 11 Pacific Panthers participating in the race: 4th grade – Rebecca R. and Katherine Y. and 5th grade - Gabriella C., Olivia D., Elizabeth K., Kathleen K., Kaitlin L., Victoria M., Isabella N., Natalia U-T., and Niki W.
 
 
 Congratulations to the Manhattan Beach Girl Scout Troop 185 Robotics Team
 
The Girl Scouts Troop 185 Robotics Team earned 1st Place in the December 5th Lego League Qualifying Competitions. The following Pacific Panthers participated in the event: Kathleen K., Elizabeth K., Natalie R., Michelle C., Victoria M., Alex V., Christina L., and Katie P.