October Newsletter 2023
通訊的中⽂版本可在辦公室取得
Office Staff:
Scott Iwata, Principal
LeAnne Kodama, Secretary
Janet Thompson, Attendance Clerk
Office: 510-656-1611
Fax: 510 656-7682
Warm Springs Elementary School
47370 Warm Springs Blvd.
Fremont, CA 94539
Dear Warm Springs Community,
Safety gates: 6 new gates are being installed today and Monday. This will close all entry points except the Fortner lot and the Pontiac entrance, during the school day. This hopefully helps to keep strangers off our campus, during the school d
October 30th, is our PTA Fall Stampede Fundraiser! Please make sure to do your best to support our students and staff and to help us to maximize your child's Warm Springs learning experience.
It was great to see so many of you at our "in person" Back to School Night last month. Our teachers did an amazing job of providing you with all the information you need to be successful in their class. Please continue to work with your child's teacher, if you have any questions. Communication is the key to truly partnering with your child's teacher, so that they can learn as much as possible this year.
Halloween costumes are allowed to be worn to school this year on Halloween. However, please read the information in this newsletter regarding costume policies. We will also be having a parade at 10:00 a.m. - 10:20 a.m. The parent viewing area will be on the upper blacktop. Here is a map for your reference.
Our Book Fair is back, thanks to Mrs. Nair, our new Librarian. The Book Fair will run from October 24 - 30. All proceeds go towards new books for our students. We are currently working on expanding our E-Book catalog, so students can check out and read books, anytime they want. If you'd like to volunteer, please contact Mrs. Nair. Here is a digital flyer with information about our Book Fair. Thanks for supporting our Library!
In partnership,
Scott Iwata
Principal
GROWTH MINDSET QUOTE OF THE MONTH:
"Education of the mind without education of the heart is no education at all." -Aristotle
WARM SPRINGS VISION STATEMENT: Warm Springs empowers all students to be socially responsible, global citizens, while maximizing their unique potential in a safe and positive learning environment.
We are excited to introduce you to Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), a proactive approach to fostering positive behavior in our school community. PBIS is a framework that focuses on teaching and reinforcing positive behaviors while reducing problematic ones. We believe that PBIS can create a more supportive and productive learning environment for all students. Here at Warm Springs we have a PBIS Team that has been working over the past few years to develop and implement this system and we fully launched it this year!
Here's a brief overview of PBIS and how it works:
Core Values and Expectations: PBIS begins with establishing clear and positive core values, such as respect, responsibility, and kindness. These values serve as the foundation for behavior expectations throughout the school. Here is our Behavior Matrix which all students have been trained on. This Behavior Matrix is a live document that we can adjust based on student behavior as needed. All students and staff have been trained on the Matrix and we will continue to teach lessons on various parts of the Matrix, each week.
Explicit Teaching: Teachers explicitly teach these behavior expectations to students. This includes not only what behaviors are expected but also why they are essential in creating a positive school culture.
Consistent Language: PBIS uses a common language to communicate behavior expectations across all areas of the school. This helps ensure that students understand what is expected of them in various settings.
Recognition and Reinforcement: Positive behaviors are recognized and reinforced regularly. This can include verbal praise, tangible rewards, or other incentives to motivate students to continue displaying positive behaviors.
Data-Driven Decision-Making: PBIS involves collecting data on behavior incidents and analyzing this information to make informed decisions. By identifying trends and problem areas, we can tailor interventions to address specific student needs.
Tiered Support: PBIS uses a tiered approach to provide varying levels of support based on individual student needs. Tier 1 interventions are for all students, Tier 2 for those who need additional support, and Tier 3 for students with the most significant challenges.
PAWS Reward System: We reward students for doing a great job following our Behavior Matrix. Each Friday there will be a raffle. Here are a few slides that explain how the system works.
How You Can Get Involved:
Learn About PBIS: Take some time to familiarize yourself with the PBIS framework and its principles. Here is a great resource for this.
Support at Home: Reinforce the core values and behavior expectations at home. Consistency between home and school environments is key to a child's success.
Communication: Stay connected with Warm Springs and your child's teachers. If you have questions or concerns about PBIS or about your child's behavior, don't hesitate to reach out.
We are excited to embark on this journey of implementing PBIS here at Warm Springs. Our goal is to further create a safe, nurturing, and inclusive learning environment where ALL students can thrive academically and socially. With your support and active participation, we are confident that we can achieve this goal. Ours students and staff have been doing a wonderful job, so far!
Attendance, Tardies & Appointments
We have had an unusual amount of students being checked out of school early for appointments. Please make every effort to schedule appointments outside of the school day as this will be a lot less disruptive to students' learning. Also, if you must take them during the school day, PLEASE make sure to let the teacher know first as this will make it easier to find them, if they are at a prep or library. Please see our bell schedule here and do not schedule a pick up during lunch or recess times. If scheduled then, this may delay the wait time until they return to class.
As we approach the winter season it is important to remember that daily attendance remains important. Please do not schedule trips outside of the window of days off (November 18 - November 26 and December 23 - January 7). Even a few missed days can lead to confusion when returning to class as well as lost social time with friends.
Also remember, Public Health guidelines call for students to stay home from school only when they have a fever, diarrhea, or are vomiting. For guidance as to when to keep your child home, please see Health Guidance for Going to School.
Please help us to help your child learn responsible work habits by getting them to school on time every day. The bell rings at 8:10 a.m. If students arrive after 8:10, they must report to the office for a tardy slip.
You can call, ext. 45-003 or email our Attendance Clerk, Mrs. Thompson, if a student is going to be absent or late.
FUSD Family Resource Website
Welcome to the 2023 - 2024 school year! On this FUSD Family Resource Website, you will find resources, news, information about upcoming events that FUSD will host throughout the school year, past presentations, ways to encourage learning at home, and more. FUSD will continue to update this site so please be sure to bookmark this site and check back for more updates.
Halloween Costume Policy
We will be having a Halloween parade this year on October 31, from 10:00 a.m. - 10:20 a.m. on the upper black top. Here is the map teachers will be using. Parents that plan to watch, do not need to check in to the office. You can wait in the parent area to watch.
NO masks that cover the whole face. Staff members must be able to identify students.
Weapons, real or fake, are not allowed.
Costumes that could be offensive or perpetuate a stereotype of someone’s culture, gender, heritage, or religion are not permitted.
Costumes should not hinder your ability to participate in your classes; costumes may not present safety issues in the hallway.
District dress code still apply.
Office Business and Visitor Policy
When possible our office staff prefers to support parents and families via email or phone. Please be sure your child has all of their belongings (backpack, lunch, water bottle, etc) upon school arrival. Our office will not accept any late drop-offs of lunches, water bottles, or other non-medical related items. We will accept glasses and or medications, only. The reason for this is, we do not have a way to ensure your child's items will get to them and we do not have supervision to watch over items that come into the office, or a place to adequately store them. We are a large school of 650 students. We do not have the capacity to accepts late items due to our size. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation regarding this policy.
All volunteers must first be pre-approved by the teacher and principal. All visitors must check in at the office prior to going into a classroom and must have complete Civicore:
Warm Springs School Site Council
The school Site Council is composed of parents/community members and school staff. Collaboratively we work to advance the School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) for the continued growth of student success in order to close the achievement gap and enhance and enrich the school experience for all students. We will soon be welcoming new parent/community members. Please contact Mr. Iwata if you are interesting in joining our School Site Council team:
Mr. Iwata 's contact:
siwata@fusdk12.net
Cell Phone / Smart Watch Policy and Agreement
Cell phones/Smart Watches may be brought to school for safety purposes and students must follow the following guidelines:
- Cell phone/Smart Watch must be turned off during all school hours.
- Cell phone must be kept in the student’s backpack.
- Cell phones/Smart Watches will not be loaned to another student.
- Cell phones are used to make a phone call for a ride only. It is not allowed to take pictures, listen
to music, call friends, etc.
*****The school is not responsible if the Cell phone/Smart Watch is lost, stolen or damaged.*****
Students who use a Cell phone/Smart Watch at any time during the instructional day shall be subject to the following progressive discipline procedures:
First Offense: the Cell phone/Smart Watch will be confiscated and sent to the office. Parents will be called to pick up the Cell phone/Smart Watch
Subsequent offense (s) - (defiance): the Cell phone/Smart Watch will be confiscated and sent to the office. Parents will be called to pick up the Cell phone/Smart Watch. Your child may no longer bring a Cell phone or Smart Watch to school.
Parents must provide a written request (this form) to the school for a student to carry a Cell phone/Smart Watch.
By filling out this form, students and parent/guardian is agreeing to the Warm Springs Cell phone/Smart Watch policy.
Basketball Season
Warm Springs participates in girls & boys basketball. 5th-grade students are able to try out for the teams. Due to the large amount of 5th grade classes we have, we are not able to have 3rd or 4th graders try out. However, they will be eligible once they are a 5th grader. Participation in school sports requires the submission of the following forms prior to tryouts. If your child does not provide the forms, prior to the try out, they will not be eligible to participate. Please make doctor appointments ASAP.
Participation Physical Evaluation Clearance Form
Some doctors may use a different form which is OK as long as "unlimited participation" is noted.
Basketball is a winter sport. Tryouts will be held in late November. Games and practices will be scheduled from December through the end of January.
Mrs. Brown: Counselor Info
Please make sure to visit Mrs. Browns webpage for all Counselor related information.
GATE (Gifted and Talented Education)
Fremont Unified School District (FUSD) provides support for gifted and talented (GATE) students through differentiated instruction. FUSD believes 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.
During the 2023/2024 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 15, 2023. Principals may set up meetings with the teacher, student, and parent, as appropriate, to discuss the student’s eligibility for GATE identification. In May, 2024, parents, teachers, and students who applied for professional judgement will be informed of their child’s GATE eligibility.
Warm Springs' English Language Advisory Committee (ELAC)
Calling on Parents of Multilingual Learners... We are looking for parents of Multilingual Learners to serve on the District English Language Advisory Committee (DELAC) and the Warm Springs English Language Advisory Committee (ELAC). DELAC provides a forum for parents/guardians of Multilingual Learners to advise, assist and provide recommendations to District administration and the Board of Education for the continuing improvement of programs, services, and policies for English Learners and their families.
Please contact Mr. Iwata siwata@fusdk12.net if you are interested.
“Don’t Miss Out! | Register for our Warm Springs Fall Stampede!”
Warm Springs families!
We’re only ONE week away from our Warm Springs Fall Stampede and our students and staff are so excited! We’re looking forward to having fun and building community together.
️ Log into MYBOOSTER.COM today to get started! ️
Register & share today to help our school reach our goal of $30,000 for students & staff.
Thank you for supporting our school - we are grateful for our amazing school community!
PTA Sponsored Activities:
Math Olympiad Registration Deadline - October 10th , Program Details - https://sites.google.com/view/warmspringspta/programs/math-olympiad?authuser=0
Noetic Math Registration Deadline - October 12th, Program Details - https://sites.google.com/view/warmspringspta/programs/noetic-math?authuser=0
Reflections Submission Deadline - October 16th, Program Details - https://sites.google.com/view/warmspringspta/programs/Programs?authuser=0
Become a PTA member - https://jointotem.com/ca/fremont/warm-springs-pta
