Principal's Corner
Where Principal Raven Coit posts notes and updates.
Welcome!
Dear Families, December 2024
Happy winter holiday season! I hope you all are staying cozy. This month our equity theme is respect and our social studies unit is on religious diversity. Students are studying the many varied holidays celebrated in the winter months.
I have a few announcements for you!
Peninsula’s Family Night is Wednesday December 11th from 4 to 6 p.m. Join us for a resource fair, a potluck dinner together, and some surprises, too.
Peninsula Union School has a few days off coming up!
Please note, we will be closed to students on the following days this month:
Early Release Friday, 12/20, at 1:40 p.m.
No School for Winter Break, 12/23-1/3
School resumes January 6th, 2025
Winter Break Camp
We are excited to announce that we will be running a free Winter Break Day Camp for current Peninsula Union students! Sign-up deadline is Monday 12/16/24.
WHEN: Thursday, Jan. 2nd and Friday Jan. 3rd, 2025 from 8:30am-5:30pm
WHERE: Peninsula Union School. Check-in will be in the cafeteria from 8:30-8:45am. For check-out, we will either be in the cafeteria or on the play yard out back. Find a staff member and they will direct you to who has the sign-out sheet.
WHAT: A full day of fun indoor and outdoor activities run by our Peninsula Union staff. We will also provide breakfast, lunch and afternoon "supper".
HOW TO SIGN UP: We will be able to take the first 20 students who sign up. You need to enroll for both days. To enroll follow this link and sign up. If you can’t sign up online, please call the school office at 707.443.2731.
ADDITIONAL INFO: Day Camp rules are the same as for school:
BEE KIND. BEE SAFE. BEE RESPECTFUL. BEE RESPONSIBLE.
We will make every attempt to work with your child, however, students who cannot remain safe or consistently follow the rules will be asked to return home. Please send your child in clothes appropriate for outdoor play. Know that their clothes may get dirty/stained depending on the fun activities we have planned. If that is an issue, let our staff know and we can support using some of the donated clothes we have.
After School Program
Our after school program is totally free and open to students TK through 8th grade. We serve supper and a snack for all students attending the program, and we are open until 6:00 p.m. Please pick up your students before 6:00 p.m. and be sure to sign them out on the clipboard in the cafeteria. Please call us if you have any questions about the after school program.
Biking Safety at Peninsula
We LOVE it when students bike to and from school and we need them to be safe. Specifically we need them to wear helmets. The ride to and from the apartments isn’t far…but it is dangerous for bicyclists:
There is typically a lot of huge construction equipment & vehicles with limited visibility
Unfortunately some folks drive too fast, even past our school
The roads are damp most mornings making them slippery or they have debris
We see how fast the kids get going down the hills…it wouldn’t take much for them to fly off their bike.
A few stats from the Dept of Transportation:
Each year almost 400,000 children ages 14 and under are treated in emergency rooms
for bicycle-related injuries.
Universal bicycle helmet use by children ages 4 to 15 would prevent 39,000 to 45,000 head injuries, and 18,000 to 55,000 scalp and face injuries annually.
Bicycle helmets are 85-88 percent effective in mitigating head and brain injuries, making the use of helmets the single most effective way to reduce head injuries and fatalities resulting from bicycle crashes.
It is the law: “In California, if you are under the age of 18, you are required to wear an approved, properly fitted and fastened bicycle helmet.”
Here are ways we would like to support:
If we see (or are told) that a child uses their helmet on their way to and from school, they will receive one of our Golden Tickets for EVERY day that they use the helmet.
If you are in need of a helmet, we can support getting your child/children one! Just reach out to our office.
If you can think of additional ways we can support helmet use, please tell us.
Attendance:
We want to remind you how important it is for your child to attend school every day (unless they are sick). When a student misses 2 days a month, they miss 20 days per year–an entire school month. That adds up to missing a full year of school by graduation! Reach out to us if you have any barriers to attendance that we can help you overcome.
Thank you for being a part of our Peninsula School community.
Gratefully,
*Raven Coit
P.S. Attention Fourth Graders!! Fourth graders can get into 19 state parks for FREE. A California State Park Adventure Pass helps them do just that. Parents of fourth grade students can sign up for the pass on behalf of their student. For more information, please visit www.parks.ca.gov/AdventurePass.
Parenting Classes:
Parents in Training:
Love and Logic - directed for parents of all age children
Contact Information - 707-443-1401
https://parentsintraining.org/
Humboldt County Office of Education:
Parent Project - directed for parents of adoloscent children
(Typically offered in the Spring)
Contact Person - Gillian Wadsworth
(707) 445-7098
GWadsworth@hcoe.org
Arcata Police Department, Diversion Program:
Parent Project - directed for parents of adoloscent children
Loving Solutions - directed for parents of 5-10 y.o. children
Contact Person - Crystal Perez, Cperez@arcatapd.org
Parenting Resources:
Changing Tides Family Services:
Parent Cafes - Receive parenting tips and resources and share with other parents
Contact Person - Amanda Steinebach, 707-298-8358
https://www.changingtidesfs.org/community-resources/parent-resources
Manila Community Resource Center:
Contact Person: Esther Hutton, 707-441-9771
