Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you and your family have a wonderful week spending time doing the things that make you happy.

I'm so thankful for the health of my family and the many blessing we all have.

Covid-19 Vaccines are available for children 5 and older. Please monitor the FUSD website for upcoming clinics at one of our school sites.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Break!

Ms. Johanna Cho

Principal

November

22-26 - Thanksgiving Break - NO SCHOOL

29 - School Resumes

30- - PTA Meeting 7:00 p.m. Zoom Link

December

1- ALL TK/K on AM Schedule 8:00-11:20 a.m.

1,8,15,22 - Early Dismissal 1-6th grades 1-3, 1:33 p.m.; 4-6 1:21 p.m.

10 - PTA Family Movie Night

14 - Parent Workshop - Washington Attendance Area Counselors 6:00 p.m.

21 - PTA Meeting 7:00 p.m. Zoom Link

23 - Jan. 10 - Winter Break - NO SCHOOL

As we wrap up the first trimester of what is quite possibly the most challenging school year ever, there is a lot to be grateful for. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to serve this wonderful Parkmont community. I'm grateful for the hard work our students do each day and the support from our Parkmont families. I'm grateful for the dedication each and every staff member puts forth for our students.

If you would like to drop a note of encouragement, gratitude or support to any of the Parkmont teachers or staff, we'd love to hear it and we could really use it! A quick and easy form is linked here.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving Holiday Break!

Parkmont School is having a virtual canned food drive for the Alameda County Community Food Bank. Just like last year, Instead of bringing in canned food items, we will be doing our canned food drive online with a virtual fundraiser. Parents can make online donations on the website listed below. The fundraiser runs through December 31. Our goal is to raise at least $2,000. Every dollar raised will feed 2 people. Thank you very much!

https://www.vfd-accfb.org/grouphome.aspx?ID=7980

Fremont Unified School District (FUSD) provides support for gifted and talented (GATE) students through differentiated instruction. We believe that differentiated instruction not only serves the needs of our exceptional students, but also enhances the entire educational program for all students.

In February of 2020, funding for the CogAT testing was cut as part of the budget savings. While the CogAT testing has been the primary means of qualifying students for GATE identification we are now in the process of identifying an alternative way of identifying students. There will not be a test for GATE eligibility given this year. We are currently revising the GATE identification process and handbook FUSD will have an update by Spring 2022.

During the 2021/2022 school year we will continue to identify 5th and 6th grade students who were not identified in an earlier grade. These students may be considered for GATE identification through the professional judgement process. Teachers and/or parents may nominate a student. A completed nomination form must be submitted by the teacher or parent to the school Principal by December 11, 2021. Principals will set up meetings with the teacher, student, and parent to discuss the student’s eligibility for GATE identification. In June 2022, parents, teachers, and students who applied for professional judgement will be informed of their child’s GATE eligibility.

Join us outside for a Family Movie Night! Our wonderful PTA has organized a fun and safe event for all Parkmont families. This is a family event. Students must attend with parents/guardians, no drop offs allowed. Dress warm, bring blankets, your lawn chairs, and snacks. Please complete the health check and covid waiver prior to the event. Masks must be worn the entire time you are on campus.

This year we will be participating in the Young Authors Contest. Please find the rules and entry forms online at the FUSD website.

Parkmont's deadline is: December 14th.

All entries must follow the contest rules and submitted to their classroom teacher by the stated deadline. No exceptions will be made.

Room 9 is collecting pajamas as part of Scholastic's 12th Annual Pajama Drive (in conjunction with Pajama Program, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes and supports a comforting bedtime routine and healthy sleep for all children to help them thrive.)

Please no used pajamas.

Pajamas should be:

* Brand-new pajamas in all sizes, from newborn to adult

* must be either a top with a matching bottom or a onesie

* for all seasons!

Scholastic will also provide a brand-new book for each pair of pajamas gathered so that the kids who receive the pajamas will also receive a book.

We are collecting pajamas through Wednesday, December 1.

Our goal is to receive 150 pairs/sets of pajamas by December 1.

On October 8th, FUSD sent an email to all parents regarding the Illuminate DNA Parent Portal. This email contained your unique access code and instructions to set up your Parent Portal. Please check ALL email addresses we may have listed for communication from school. Please also check your SPAM folders as these emails sometimes go there by mistake. If you are having any trouble please email Office Assistant, Denise Van Loon at dvanloon@fusdk12.net . Please indicate "parent portal" in the subject line and your child's first and last names.

Any requests made over Thanksgiving Break will be handled when we return to the office on 11/29/21. Thank you for your understanding.

Information sourced from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

As families make holiday travel plans, please be aware of the Center

for Disease Control (CDC) guidance for travelers and plan accordingly

in order to keep our school environments healthy and safe.

Get your yearbook before prices go up in January! Every June students are disappointed because they didn't order a yearbook. We have very limited numbers of yearbooks at the end of the year. Please order your yearbook today!

The Parkmont Elementary School spirit wear holiday sale is underway! Prices have been slashed 25% or more sitewide and FREE SHIPPING on orders over $75! New gift items have been added, including hats, aprons, blankets, tote bags, dog hoodies and more. Order now to ensure delivery before the holidays. Shop Now!

It's come to my attention that more and more of our students have accounts on both Instagram and Tik Tok. While I know that many of these apps are used for entertainment and as a way to communicate with friends, but please be aware that the legal age of use for these programs is 13. Today there is an article about the potential harmful effects Instagram has on children. I urge you to monitor your child's on line presence and activity frequently and unannounced.

We are opening up our request for Junior Safety Patrol members to our 4th grade students! We are still looking for more 4th-6th graders who are interested in helping with our Student Safety Patrol in the mornings. If you are interested, please print the form or pick up a permission slip from the office and turn it in to the office. Your parents will get an email to inform you of your start date. Thank you for your help!

The Parkmont Office is happy to help you with any questions or concerns you may have. However, our office is quite small. We will allow only one parent/family in at a time. If you have a general concern or question that you would like assistance with, please consider emailing us or leaving a message on our voicemail, (510) 793-7492.

Secretary: Paulina Sanchez - psanchez@fusdk12.net

Attendance: Debbie Grant - dgrant@fusdk12.net

Office Asst: Denise Van Loon - dvanloon@fusdk12.net

Principal: Johanna Cho - jcho@fusdk12.net

The Parkmont office is open daily from 8-3:30 p.m., 8-3 p.m. on Fridays.

If you would like to wait for assistance, please stand in line outside of the office and we will assist you as quickly as possible.

We send communications weekly to keep you up to date.

Reminder Emails are typically sent each Monday. Every other Friday we send our school Newsletter. Check your spam if you are not receiving emails from us. Occasionally, we will send a phone call message to our families. Please listen to the entire message.

Follow us on Instagram @parkmontpanthers

Website: https://parkmont.fremont.k12.ca.us/