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Welcome to our second installment of Pawprints for the 2011- 2012 school year. I am so proud we are able to publish such a high quality student-developed publication and want to thank Kim Noonen for her support in leading our student journalists. October is such an exciting month with the Hometown Fair, Ice Cream Social, Science Night, and of course Halloween! Like you I am finalizing my costume and figuring out which candy I will pass out to the neighborhood kids.
Each month at Pacific we focus on one aspect of the KSR-HELPR traits. This month we have an exciting array of activities focusing on safety - the "S" in KSR-HELPR. We started with a talk about fire safety for the second grade by Fireman Brian from the Manhattan Beach Fire Department. At the end of the talk Fireman Brian challenged the students to develop a family evacuation plan based on all he had discussed. Entries were judged by the MBFD who were very impressed with each of the plans submitted! Hatcher Johnson, a second grader in Mrs. Lautanen's class, was picked from all of the submissions to ride to Pacific on a MBFD fire truck on October 11 at 9:15. The whole school came out to greet him and celebrate fire safety.
On October 20 we will be participating school - wide in the
Great California Shake Out. At 10:20 we will have a large earthquake drill where students will duck and cover and evacuate. We will be staging injured teachers and students, blocked passage ways, and other obstacles we may encounter if we had an actual earthquake. Teacher teams will conduct search and rescue efforts and treatment of pretend injuries. We will also rehearse parent pick up procedures as if there were a real emergency. These drills are very important in our preparedness efforts, and this is a great time to review our
Pacific earthquake readiness guidelines from the handbook with your children and for yourself.
At 10:20 on 10/20 when the Great Shake Out drill happens you will receive a phone call from our School Messenger service. This is our main communication system with families in an emergency. We are using the Shake Out as a test of our emergency notification system, so please check to see that your family gets the call and contact Susie Howat in our office via email (
showat@mbusd.org) if you do not. We appreciate your assistance with this.
There are several other events happening this month to emphasize safety. I am meeting with each grade to review school safety. We are reviewing play ground rules and good choices for physical and emotional safety at school. Red Ribbon Week is the last week in October. During that week there will be daily activities that focus on safe choices and being drug free. Thank you to Tracee Farrell for all of her work to coordinate this important week. It is great to have a community focused on the safety of our panthers. Julie Jones, our librarian, has put together a section of safety books as well as a safety book list for students and parents in the library.
At home there are many things you can do to reinforce our theme for the month. This is a good time to check the batteries in your fire alarms, revisit your family evacuation plans, and check your earthquake supplies. It is also a good time to review "stranger danger", bike safety, and street safety with your children. For more information on safety, here are a few websites that may help.
I hope everyone has a wonderful month and enjoys the work our students have put in to create this great publication. Have a safe and happy Halloween!
Thank you,
Kim Linz
Principal
Pacific School
An Interview with Pacific's New Principal, Mrs. Kim Linzby Zoe W., Hope K., Greta N. and Priscilla Y., 4th Grade
On a recent September day, we were excited to interview our new principal, Mrs. Linz! This is what we learned:
Zoe: Whats your favorite color?
Mrs. Linz: Purple
Hope: If you could invent anything, what would it be?
Mrs. Linz: I would invent something to do my household chores on the weekend so I can sit back and relax instead.
Greta: What is your favorite vacation spot?
Mrs. Linz: I love all the national parks, but if I had to pick one it would be Yellowstone National Park because of all the great places to hike.
Priscilla: What elementary school did you go to?
Mrs. Linz: Mazomanie Elementary School in Mazomanie,Wisconsin. Mazomanie means “walking iron” in Iroquois.
Zoe: What’s your favorite school subject?
Mrs. Linz: Social studies.
Hope: What were your favorite activities when you were my age?
Mrs. Linz: When I was little I liked to play basketball, and I was a starter on the Junior High team in my school in 5th grade. I also liked to read and play with my friends.
Greta: What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Mrs. Linz: Strawberry and vanilla bean.
Priscilla: What do you think about iPads?
Mrs. Linz: I have my own and love it!
Zoe: What college did you go to?
Mrs. Linz: The University of Wisconsin – Madison for my undergraduate degree and the University of Virginia for my masters degree.
Hope: Do you enjoy being our new principal?
Mrs. Linz: I like it very much, it was my dream job.
Greta: What pet would you want?
Mrs. Linz: A big crazy dog.
Priscilla: Were you a principal before Pacific?
Mrs. Linz: I was the assistant principal at Manhattan Beach Middle School.
Zoe: What do you do during your free time?
Mrs. Linz: I like to hike and go mushing with my dog.
Hope: What is your favorite movie?
Mrs. Linz: Well, my favorite movie is “The Breakfast Club.” I used to watch it all the time.
Greta: What are your favorite football teams?
Mrs. Linz: The Wisconsin Badgers and the Pittsburg Steelers.
Priscilla: What do you think about the war with Iraq?
Mrs. Linz: I have family in the Armed Forces and I support our troops. I want them to be safe.
Zoe: What’s your favorite sport?
Mrs. Linz: Football and hockey
Hope: What is your favorite food?
Mrs. Linz: Let's see... I like to eat veggie pizza, but without mushrooms- I don't like them.
Greta: If you could have any career what would it be?
Mrs. Linz: I’d want to be a principal.
Priscilla: What do you do on Halloween?
Mrs. Linz: I dress up and hand out candy.
Zoe: What’s your favorite flower?
Mrs. Linz: I love daisies.
Greta: What is your favorite dog breed?
Mrs. Linz: I love mutts!
We had a great time interviewing our wonderful new principal, Mrs. Linz!
An Interview With Pacific’s Newest 5th Grade Teacher- But Not New To Pacific, Mrs. Stephanie Hubbardby Sofie K., London F. and Sabrina S., 5th Grade
We were able to interview someone who is known for her wonderful 1st grade teaching and is now becoming a terrific 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Hubbard!
Sofie: What is the biggest difference between teaching 1st and 5th grade?
Mrs. Hubbard: The size of the kids, big desks, big chairs. Also switching classes for math, social studies and science.
London: What influenced you to teach 5th grade?
Mrs. Hubbard: When I was student teaching, I taught 1st and 5th graders. We only needed four 1st grade classrooms this year, so when they needed someone to teach 5th grade, I volunteered.
Sabrina: How do you like teaching 5th grade?
Mrs. Hubbard: I love it and how much the kids know. I love how independent 5th graders are!
Sofie: How did you get to love frogs so much?
Mrs. Hubbard: I was a student teacher with Mrs. Curry, who is now a 5th grade teacher at Pennekamp, and she had a room full of frogs. She gave me a frog as a “going away” present, so I became a “frog” teacher, too!
London: Where did you grow up?
Mrs. Hubbard: I grew up in Irvine, California. I was born in Boston, but I moved to Irvine when I was 7. I still have a strong connection to the East Coast. I have been going there every summer all of my life.
Sabina: What's your favorite subject to teach?
Mrs. Hubbard: I love teaching reading and art! I really love teaching every subject.
Sofie: If you were a 5th grade student right now, would the stuff we are learning be challenging for you? Why or Why not?
Mrs. Hubbard: Yes! There is a lot more writing now than before. Math might be harder and social studies is about the same.
London: What's your favorite memory from your childhood?
Mrs. Hubbard: My favorite memory is being in Yosemite and sitting on a rock in the middle of a creek near our campsite reading Anne of Green Gables.
Sabrina: Where did you go to school?
Mrs. Hubbard: I went to college at UCLA.
Sofie: Do you have any advice for any students who are or will be in 5th grade?
Mrs. Hubbard: Make sure you understand where all your materials go and put them there. Don’t be a stuffer!
London: What's the strangest thing that has happened to you or a student at school?
Mrs. Hubbard: It had to be from kindergarten when leprechauns would not stop coming to my classroom even when I was positive they were done!
Sabrina: What do you like to do in your free time?
Mrs. Hubbard: I like to work on art projects, I like to knit and read.
Sofie: If you were in a fire, what would be the first thing you would do?
Mrs. Hubbard: The first thing I would do is make sure everyone was out and safe.
London: What's your favorite ice cream flavor?
Mrs. Hubbard: I love any kind of coffee ice cream, especially with hot fudge in a sundae!
Sabrina: Do you have any pets?
Mrs. Hubbard: I have an adorable, talented Cocker Spaniel named Bailey. He is a certified bed bug detector and therefore is considered a guide dog. Because of that, he can ride on a plane with me!
Sofie: Everyone wanted to be something when there were a little kid, what did you want to be?
Mrs. Hubbard: I have always wanted to be a teacher. But I spent ten years in advertising and ten years raising my girls. I then decided to get my master’s degree to be a teacher.
While interviewing the fantastic Mrs. Hubbard, we learned many new things about her, including her exciting new lifestyle as a 5th grade teacher! Thank you, Mrs. Hubbard!
Fire Escape Plan Winner!
The Manhattan Beach Fire Dept. challenged some of our Panthers to create a home fire escape plan. Congratulations to second grader, Hatcher Johnson, for winning the contest and a ride to school on a real fire truck!
Hatcher's Escape Plan
Movie Nightby Brittany L., 4th Grade
There were so many fun things to do at Movie Night, and it’s a great time to hang out with friends and do cool stuff.
First, there were the inflatables. There was the Titanic slide, which was a really high, really steep slide, and it was so much fun! That was probably the most popular inflatable. Then, there was the King Kong inflatable, which was an obstacle course, and there was a ladder and slide at the end. It looked really fun! Finally, there was the rainbow obstacle course, which was very similar to the King Kong inflatable, but it was for younger kids.
Next, there were the “special features.” There was hair spray, and they had almost all the colors one could imagine! There were also free glow-in-the-dark glasses, and I tested them out and they really do glow in the dark! Finally, there was face painting, and there were even mustaches!
The food there was delicious! The In-N-Out truck came, and there were burgers, or there was Fresh Brothers pizza. I got In-N-Out, and it was really yummy!
The movie was “How to Train Your Dragon,” and it was a really good movie about a young boy who befriends a dragon, and he learns that dragons aren’t just big, deadly creatures, but they can still be very friendly sometimes.
I think that was the best movie night I’ve ever been to so far out of the six movie nights I’ve gone to at Pacific School. And by seeing what other people’s facial expressions were, I think they would agree.
Pacific Family Science Night!by Tony A., 4th Grade
When was the last time you saw a robot that played soccer? Have you ever seen Mars up close? Are you hungry for a bug? Well, you can do all these things at Pacific School Science Night on October 26, 2011 from 5:00-8:00 pm. I love science so I make sure I go every year. Each room has a different experiment in it run by experts and parent volunteers. Kindergartners to fifth graders get to come and explore from room to room and try all the experiments. People should come because it's fun and, most of all, free! Now that you know all about it why don't you come on down and bring an appetite for science (or bugs).
October BOOk Fair!by Sophia V., 4th Grade
It will be a ghoul’s day at the Pacific BOOk Fair! Halloween is the theme and it’s the first BOOk Fair in October! Come anytime from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. from October 24th through October 28th. Also, on Wednesday, October 26th the BOOk fair will be open during Family Science Night. Kindergarteners may also go to a special reception at the BOOk Fair on Friday, October 21st from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm.
This year, if you are an Invention of Hugo Cabret or a Diary of a Wimpy Kid fan, you are in luck! The author of Hugo Cabret has a newer book out called Wonderstruck. As for Diary of a Wimpy Kid, the Fair is taking pre-orders for book 6, Cabin Fever.
Who likes Newberry Award books? I know I do! Award books have their own table at the BOOk Fair. The Fair also hopes to feature our own Mrs. Lautanen’s books again as it has in the past.
By popular demand, the Fair is bringing back the BOOk Fair raffle. For every book you purchase, you will receive a ticket and a chance to win a free book, up to a certain dollar amount. All of your purchases help contribute to the PTA’s fundraising goal of $20,000 to $25,000. Don’t forget to donate your spare change to our sister school, the 68th Street School.
Also, don’t forget our teacher board with all the books teachers would appreciate in their classrooms. You could even donate books to Mrs. Jones for the Pacific Library!
So come if you dare, to Pacific’s BOOk Fair!
Have a Fun, Safe Halloween!by Remi P., 4th Grade
Halloween is a time for dressing up in your favorite costume and trick-or-treating! Here are some tips to ensure a fun-filled and safe Halloween!
Costumes are a big part of Halloween, but to be safe hem long costumes so you don't trip or fall. Also consider wearing face paint instead of masks because masks can obstruct your vision. When you are trick-or-treating, be accompanied by an adult and stay in familiar neighborhoods. Remember to stay on sidewalks, and look left, right, then left again before you cross the street.
Go only to well-lit houses and never eat candy that is open, unwrapped, has puncture holes, or homemade. To be safe, have your parents look through your bag, and make sure that the candy is safe to eat. Also, carry a flashlight with new batteries so you'll be able to see when it starts to get dark.
Halloween requires a lot of safety, but remember to respect property, say "thank you," and most importantly, have fun!
Go Green!
by Megan S., 4th Grade
Have you ever thought about how you treat our Earth? Do you think that we can make a change? Well, we can! It is very important to keep our planet clean, and have a healthy environment. Think about all that we can do, and try to help. You can…
Reduce
1. Turn off lights when you exit a room.
2. Take shorter showers.
3. Open a window instead of using a fan.
4. Use both sides of paper when you are drawing/writing.
Reuse
1. Use lunch boxes instead of paper bags
2. Use reusable water bottles.
3. Tell your parents to use reusable shopping bags.
Recycle
1. Use a recycling bin in your house at all times, and don’t throw recyclables in the trash.
2. Appropriately discard electronic equipment such as batteries, cell phones, and computers.
PAW POLLWhat do Pacific Panthers hope to see in their Trick-Or-Treat bags this year? Our staff asked and the top 5 responses were:
1. Twix
2. Hershey Bar
3. Snickers
4. Candy Corn
5. Milky Way
YUM!!
Intimate Gatherings
Wow...what fantastic events these turned out to be! Thank you to our wonderful families for opening up their homes this summer and allowing our families to get to know Mrs. Linz, our new principal. There were all a huge success as well over 100 families came out to spend time with Mrs. Linz over the five gatherings held. Thank you Wood Family, Ray Family, Kupiec Family, Storer Family and Horowitz Family. You were a major piece of the puzzle that helped us all to start the year off with a comfort level we would not of otherwise had. Thank you!
Popsicles with the Principal
Our Panthers got to enjoy a cool refreshing treat and meet our new principal thanks to our wonderful chairs, Michelle Traylor and Anne Westreich. Thank you ladies for taking time in your summer schedule to help us introduce our new principal
4th & 5th Grade Hill
While we were having a great summer...our Ms. Jackson (Science/4th grade teacher) made sure our beautiful 4th & 5th grade hill continued to grow and flourish. Thank you Ms. Jackson for all you do for our school and kids!
Classroom Supplies
Thank you Heidi Obermeyer for making it easy for our families to purchase their start up supplies for the year. No more hours spent searching for just the right glue stick or pen!
Parking Blocks
Thank you Janet Anderson for using your perfect penmanship and painting our reserved parking spots in front of our school...they look pawtastic!
Principal Reception
What a wonderful night! Thank you Schrader Family and Kupiec Family for putting on an awesome event. It was a wonderful social event that was well attended...even our Superintendent of schools was there mingling with our families. Thank you for all of your efforts in making this event so successful! You are the perfect party planners!
Movie Night
How do you train a dragon?....because of our two incredible Movie Night Chairs we all know how. Thank you Karla Cameron and Susan Blake for capitalizing on the FUN in fundraising. The event was a huge success and we all thank you for creating another spectacular night!
Back to School Nights
We are all back in school with a great start thanks for our wonderful teaching team. Thank you; Mrs. Loker, Mrs. Jordan, Mrs. Stienstra, Mrs. Abrams, Mrs. Sanders, Miss. Rech, Mrs. Becker, Mrs. Cameron, Mrs. Cooley, Mrs. Okumura, Mrs. Schnebly, Mrs. Lautanen, Mrs. Witlen, Ms. Martinez, Miss. Wallace, Mrs. Stern, Mrs. Diamond, Ms. Huckabay, Mrs. Murphy, Ms. Sayre, Mrs. Noda, Mrs. Fulton, Mrs. Liu, Mrs. Brown, Mrs. Krzmarzick, Mrs. Stelter. Miss. Atia, and Mrs. Hubbard for providing us with informative Back To School nights. We are looking forward to a great year ands are thrilled to have our kids in your hands.
Gift Wrap
All wrapped up with a pretty bow! Thank you Kelly Storer and Cat McComb for executing another successful Gift Wrap fundraiser. It was great to see you both walking around campus in a wrapped box to build the excitement and fun around the drive. We can't wait to see how you PRESENT gift wrap next year! Thank you!!!
School Photo Day
Thank you Mrs. Howat for running another flawless photo day for our kids. We appreciate all that you do to make each school year a memorable one!
Hometown Fair
Incredible job HTF team! A lot of great minds went into making this years Pacific booth a huge success! Well over 50,000 people attend the fair each year and a number of them came by to win and take home a goldfish..or two...or three. Thank you super team; Christine Rawson, Nanda Blaney, Jill Barrett, Michelle Moeller, Carol Berstein, Will Joseph and Gary Charlton for doing a wonderful job. You all ROCK!!!
School Supplies Drive
Thank you Kristin Coons, Shawne Spelke and Phyllis Calza for the time and efforts you dedicated to executing a successful School Supplies Drive. This was a great opportunity for our Panthers to 'pay it forward' and wonderful to know that the students of 68th street school will be the beneficiary of the supplies donated. Thank you!
Thank You to these FANTASTIC VOLUNTEERS!!!
Because of their time, big smiles, loud cheers & sense of FUN, they helped
make the Goldfish/Duck Pond one of the most successful EVER!
We hope they, AND you, will join the fun next year!
*RACHEL SPENCE, Crossing Guard who volunteered ALL DAY SATURDAY!
*Mckenzie Charlton, 1st grader extraordinaire, who assisted Dad ALL weekend!
*Don Raynors, a husband who stepped in for his wife on Sunday, COOL!
And...Heidi O'Brien, Mary Yollin, Katherine Yollin, Mary Ann Burns, Victoria Watley, Amy Brantly, Amy Steinbacher, Audrey Ritterman-Estes, Max Estes, Arman Hedayat, Afsaneh Matin, Kristin Coons, Lisbeth Buchi, Susan Boettner, Renee Boettner, Carol Bernstein, Carl Calkins, Christine Rawson, Rebecca Rawson, Cibele Leon, Cindy Doherty, Caroline Tsuang, Naomi Tsuang, Tracey Daley, Dana Devorzon, Debra Cummings, Emmie Farber, Gary Charlton, Holly Toomey, Sarah Toomey, Janell Perez, Jennifer Kelsch, Jill Barrett, Joy Higa, Julie Schwedock, Kelly Struve, Kelly Kelley, Madeline Kelley, Kimberly Johnson, Kirstie Baker, Lori Koch, Andreas Koch, Kirsten Olsen, Braden Olsen, Michelle Lautanen, Emma Lautanen, Lata Owen, Josephine Lemus, Annette Lewis, Cole Lewis, Lisa Dickson, Maura Mueller, Megan Arquette, Charlotte Samuels, Deliah Samuels, Maria Mateo, Kira Mateo, Michelle Moeller, Michele Jordan, Madison Jordan, Melanie Ransford, Michelle Wimer, Nanda Blaney, Cynthia Cunniff-White, Rupal Parekh, Staci Trief, Robyn Glasgow, Memphis Glasgow, London Foster, Gabby Lange, Jesse Samaniego, Donna Matsumoto, Shari Gong, Sarah Merkle, Stephanie Rudy, Stacey Clarke, Karina Sam, Susan Blake, Tanja Canada, Terri Warren, Stephanie Siddons, Will Siddons, JJ Parker, Tim Doherty, Tracy Chaney, Wendy Jay, Whitney Sargent, Will Joseph, Teresa Cho...
Again, much appreciation to ALL of you!!
Thank you!!!
Michelle Moeller, on behalf of the Hometown Fair Committee
Carol Bernstein
Nanda Blaney
Jill Barrett
Gary Charlton
Will Joseph
Thank you for Movie Night Volunteers
Movie Night 2011 was a record breaking success! We would like to say a heartfelt thanks to the hardworking committee members who made it all possible: Christa Colvin, Kari Estrin, Shari Gong, Julie Johnson, Layla Kiffin, Dana Mahony, Kate Malik, Sarah Merkle, Sandi Nerad, Heidi O'Brien, Karen Randall, Sandy Rathbun, Jenny Sampson, Tracy Stickney and one special thank you to Kathie Papera who does an amazing job with tickets & chick in and does it all with ease!
We would also like to thank the following for volunteering the night of movie night including: Gassia Azhikian, Dawn Bush, Janet Anderson, Machalle Baliton, Jill Bell Valerie Brunner, Phyllis Calza, Ralph Canda, Carl Calkins, Tracy Chaney, Ellen Chao, Michelle Childs, Tara Connor, Debra Cummings, Andrea Custer, Tracey Daley, Jane Davis, Dava Devorson, Laura Forman, Kristen Frawney, Michele Gentile, Shari Gong, Teri Hampton, Heather Herouz, Joy Higa, Cathy Hobart, Frances Hong, Ellen Hotchkis, Sue Ike Childs, Nadine Jackson, Heidi Jensen, Kim Johnson, Kimberly Johnson, Kristen Keifer, Kelly Kelley, Geoff Kelsch, Mickie Kingston, Kristi Knowles, Monica Kwon, Michael Leon, Susan Lynch, Donna Mathis, Michele McDonald, Margaret Musante, Shannon Nicholson, Jessica Pickard, Mr. Rabine, Christine Rawson, Kay Riley, Audrey Ritterman-Estes, Kelsie Runnels, Kay Sheth, Stephanie Siddons, Shawne Spelke, Laura Spencer, Tina Stout, Shelly Stutz, Holly Toomey, Lisa Tomsick, Staci Trief, Linda Warren, Theresa Wood, Lori Wymbs, Claudia Yanez and Mary Yollin.
A special thanks to the following Pacific families: Aiden Reisig (parents- Jason & Rachel), Josie & Cecilia (parents-andrew & Jenny). These two families made it possible to show "How to Train Your Dragon" at Pacific School. Also a heartfelt thanks to the family of Claire Buchi (parents- Bob & Lisbeth) who generously doanted premiums, candy, and point of sale for movie night. In addition, we would like to than the family of Claire DuMont (parents-Richard & Louise) for working on teh pre-show slides. A final note of thanks to all of you, the wonderful parents and supporters of Pacific School who attended movie night. You are the reason Pacific School is the "Best in the West."
Cheers,
Susan Blake & Karla Cameron
Movie Night Co-Chairs 2011
