Skyhawk News Sycamore Elementary PTA

April 2014

This year, students in grades 3 through 6 are participating in the field test of the new state

testing system. The test is called the Smarter Balanced Assessment, and it is administered

online. The state testing system is now called California Assessment of Student Perform-

ance and Progress, or CAASPP. (Education has so many acronyms!) CAASPP is replac-

ing STAR.

Because this year is just a field test, scores will not be reported to the schools or to par-

ents. This year is a “test of the test,” so that the state can examine the quality of the test

system and test questions. (There are two exceptions: fifth graders will take the paper

version of the test for science, and special education students in grades 2-6 who take the

CAPA will still take it. Scores will be reported for those two tests only.)

The testing window is April 7 through May 16. During this window, one class will test at

a time, with 4 or 5 sessions of testing for each class on different days.

Sycamore has received 40 Chrome Books from the school district for our students to use

for testing. The students have been very excited as they have been trying out the Chrome

Books to get used to them. Our school will get to keep this set of Chrome books for future

use in all classrooms, not just for testing.

On another note, Sycamore’s 6th grade class is receiving individual iPads for the district’s

1 to 1 device pilot program to use regularly in the classroom. This will continue with next

year’s 6th graders as well.

I am very proud of the hard work our teachers and students have put in this year as we

transition to the very rigorous Common Core State Standards. Great things are happening

at Sycamore!

Mrs. McManigal

Principals Message

2

Dear Sycamore Families,

I would like to take the time this month to thank the many PTA board

members who work hard for your children by volunteering to chair a

position on our PTA board. These volunteers spend hours and hours

planning and coordinating the events at Sycamore. It is difficult to find such a

dedicated group of people and I thank each and every one of them for what they are

doing for all the children at Sycamore. As a full time working parent with some

medical issues the first part of the year, I am grateful for our board members who

are dependable and reliable getting things done. They deserve a big THANK YOU

and if you attend any PTA events, please take the time to thank them yourselves for

the hard work they do for your children.

I am happy to report at our bingo night in March, we held our annual elections and

were fortunate to fill all the elected board positions with very qualified candi-

dates. The nominating committee did a great job in finding the many open posi-

tions. It is with great honor that I announce your 2014-2015 elected board mem-

bers:

President: Michele Spring

First VP (Programs): Michele Suffredini

2nd VP (Fundraising): Annette Graue

3rd VP (Membership): Christina Barakat

Treasurer: Yvonne Cruz

Secretary: Jenn Barr

Historian: Becky Stafford

Auditor: Jennie Henderson

Although the elected positions are filled, there are still many chair positions avail-

able for next year. Please consider volunteering and look for information from

Michele Spring in regards to open positions.

Pati Eberle – PTA President

Don’t forget Next Year’s reflections Theme - “The World Would be a Better Place if….”

3

Spring Fundraisers are here!

Sycamore PTA is offering two fundraising options this spring.

Online ordering is sill available !!!

Simply have your friends and family go to http://

www.yankeecandlefundraising.com/. All they need to do is enter our Group

# 990021314 and it should say "Thank you from Sycamore" and you can

start to shop. Orders online can be placed through June with our group #

and Sycamore receives 40% of the order! To date we have raised just over $1400 net profit

on Yankee Candle sales. Thank You!

WORLD’S FINEST CHOCOLATE Extended through April 11th.

We have extended the time to turn in you money from the World’s Finest

Chocolate fundraiser to April 11th. Info on Prize distribution will be coming

home in the next few weeks.

Thank you for you support!

We hope that each family can help earn some funds this spring for our students and school.

Money raised from these fundraisers helps to pay for Assemblies, Music Van, Library

Books, Field Trips, Playground Equipment and much more!

Student Store

Don’t forget about the student store

run by the 6th grade the last Friday

of every month during lunch time.

The next student store day will be

Friday, April

Committed to educational excellence

through

a partnership of

teachers, parents and students …

4

In honor of Earth day, we will be collecting recyclables. On Thursday

April 24th, bring in a recyclable to get a ticket for a drawing. Details

will be sent home later this month.

Honoring Sycamore’s Treasures: 2013/2014 Honorary Service Award Recipients

The Honorary Service Awards are the PTA’s way of ensuring that the individuals who give their time and service so generously to our school and community are recognized for their spirit of commitment and care. This year, Sycamore is proud to announce our Honorary Service Award recipients and Very Special People. During the school Flag Ceremony on March 20, we were able to recognize a few of these special folks with the entire student body present which was a fun way to surprise them and show the impact of all the people they support. Our honorees for this year are:

Annette Graue (H.S.A.) – As chairperson responsible for PTA programs including the Book Fair, Earth Day, Arbor Day and Spirit Wear, Annette’s own spirit and sense of community is also shown in the leadership she gives as a troop leader for a local Girls Scout troop AND a local Daisy troop. Her generosity is boundless.

Michelle Suffredini (H.S.A.) – The PTA chairperson responsible for multiple pro-grams including VIP Day, Holiday Gift Shop and Walk to School Day, Michelle exemplifies the spirit of service as she is always volunteering her time and en-ergy to support the activities that make Sycamore such a wonderful school.

Karen Zook (H.S.A.) – Sycamore’s current PTA Treasurer, Karen supports multi-ple teachers in the classroom and has brought several education enrichment programs to our student body including the Young Rembrandts Art Education program and a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (S.T.E.M.) – based robotics program. Karen truly is a champion for innovation in learning.

We also recognized the following Very Special People for the support they give here at Sycamore in the classroom and with special events including the Harvest Carnival, field trips, classroom assistance and more.

Christina Blankenship Deanne Hood Shobha Jagannathan

If you see any of our honorees on campus, please take a moment to congratulate them on

5

Discount Regal Movie Tickets

Discount Regal movie tickets ($8 each) are available! We

accept cash or checks payable to Sycamore PTA. They're

available for sale at our popcorn sale and family nights, and/or people can

emailsvsycamorepta@gmail.com to make other arrangements.

Pre-Order Your 2014 Sycamore Yearbook today!!

Order forms have gone home. Ordering is now over and the

price is now $22.00

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION BEGINS MARCH 3RD !!

REGISTER EARLY!! REGISTRATION PACKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE IN THE SYCAMORE

OFFICE BEGINNING MARCH 3RD.

CHILDREN MUST BE 5 YEARS OF AGE BY SEPTEMBER 1, 2014

(CALL THE SYCAMORE OFFICE FOR INFORMATION / AGE REQUIREMENTS REGARDING JR. KINDERGARTEN

AND TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN)

Pet Supply Donation: Sycamore Soars into Success! Our recent Pet Supply donation drive was a complete success – way to go, Sycamore families! In just two days, we collected about 200 pieces of donated pet items ranging from cat and dog food, treats,

leashes, food bowls, fish food, kitty litter and more. When our donation was brought to Simi Valley Town Center as part of the Shop Smart program, the staff was simply amazed by the generosity of our school and the scope of our collection. This drive gave our school about 10,000 points to use towards the Shop Smart program while we also benefitted local no-kill shelters here in Simi (Tiny Loving Canines) and the Simi Valley location of the Ventura County Animal Shelter’s pet food pantry. The Sycamore Elementary PTA thanks all of your for your tremendous generosity and spirit of community – thanks again to all of you who have shown yet again that together we can make wonderful things happen for our community and Sycamore Elementary.

6

SKYHAWKS!

SHOW US YOUR SCHOOL SPIRIT!

Don't forget to wear your Skyhawk Spirit Wear or our school colors (Maroon and Gold) on Fridays to show your school spirit!

Skyhawk Newsletter:

Principal: Mrs. McManigal

PTA President: Pati Eberle

Editor: Stephie Jennings

The mention of any business or service in this publication does

not imply an endorsement by the Sycamore PTA.

Thank you to our sponsors:

Looking Ahead...

Mark your Calendars for these special events!

April 17 —8:00 am –Flag Ceremony

April 18—No School Local Holiday

April 21—No School Staff Development

April 24—1:15 pm Volunteer Tea in MPR

May 5-9 Teacher Appreciation Week