From the Principal's Desk by Robert Broecker

 Thank you to all of you for a very smooth start to the school year! I have enjoyed seeing all of our excited students and talking with our parents, new and returning.

 

Welcome to New Staff
This year we welcome the following new educators to our Alvarado family:

* Richard Santos – 4th Grade Dual immersion. Sr. Santos is a veteran district teacher. He is filling in for Maria Woodworth who is on sabbatical.

* Lauren Spurchise – Reading Recovery. Ms. Spurchise is an experienced Reading Recovery teacher, coming to us from Flynn Elementary school.

* Lindsay Sanchez – Learning Support Professional. Ms. Sanchez Is a licensed social worker. She will be working to support our students and families in social and behavioral needs as they impact education.

* Pauline Carillo – Sandtray Consultant. Ms. Cabrillo is an experienced Sandtray therapist. She will be carrying on the great work begun by Mary Watson.

* Andrea Jason – School Psychologist. Dr. Jason comes to the field of psychology after having spent many years as a classroom teacher.

* Kat Kowerska – Speech and Language Pathologist – Ms. Kowerska will be working with students to support them in their speech and language acquisition needs.

 

Schedule Changes
We have made some changes to our daily schedule in order to maximize learning in the classroom.

 

Morning Assembly only on Monday and Friday. Tuesday through Thursday teachers lead students directly to the classroom when the bell rings at 7:50. We felt that this time could best be utilized in the classroom. Also, many students were beginning to consider this time as an extra cushion for late arrival to school.

 

Recess before Lunch. In the past students rushed through lunch in order to get out on the yard for recess. Also, students brought the high energy from recess directly into the classroom. We feel that having recess before lunch will give children more time to eat calmly and cut down on food waste. Much research has been done supporting this configuration.

 

Lunch Forms
We need a lunch form back from every family. Most importantly, we want to make sure that all of our children, regardless of income level, have a healthy lunch and breakfast. Also, the more forms we get back, the more money we get from the federal government. If you are not interested in the program, please still return a form: just write Not Interested on it. The information on the form will not be used to document families in any way other than providing children with free and reduced lunch and breakfast.

 

Principal’s Chats
Once again this year I will hold Principal’s Chats. They will take place the third Thursday of the month from 8:00-8:45 in the cafeteria. As in the past, there is no set agenda. I use this time to speak with parents regarding concerns around the school. It is an open forum where parents raise issues and ask questions of me. It is an open dialogue. Here are the dates for this year:

 

Thursday, September 17

Thursday, October 15

Thursday, November 19

Thursday, December 17

Thursday, January 21

Thursday, February 18

Thursday, March 18

Thursday, April 15

Thursday, May 20