Dear Families,

As we end the year, we are planning for the next with more excitement than ever as we transition to our interim school for 2012-2013. I urge you to pay close attention to your classroom news, e-mails, our website and the Pony for important updates.

This is also the time when some parents start to worry about their child's classroom placement for next year. Please see the important letter in this issue of the Pony regarding Mill Valley School District's class placement policy. And be assured that our staff takes great care in determining the following year's classes. Class placements will be mailed in September.

In addition to our new interim school, other exciting changes are happening at Edna. Next year, we will have an extra first grade section while second grade will go down to two sections. We will miss first grade teacher Jenny Leogrande who is taking a year's leave of absence. But we are excited that second-grade teacher Julie Bremer will return to teaching first grade, team-teaching with new hire Tara Sprague-Ordonez. And that second-grade teacher Anna Isler will re-join the kindergarten staff. 

Meet Our New Teachers!
Tara Sprague-Ordonez (Team-teaching first grade with Julie Bremer)
Tara has been teaching in the Mill Valley School District for the past eight years. She currently teaches first grade at Strawberry Point and also taught kindergarten there for five years. Tara was a long-term substitute in Julie Bremer's first-grade class in the 2009-2010 school year and is very excited to be back at Edna. She has a passion for teaching and working with kids that began when she was a teenager working at summer camps and giving swimming lessons. She believes in creating a warm, loving, fun, content-based learning environment where children feel comfortable taking risks.

Tara lives in Mill Valley with her husband, 2- year- old son Santiago and her newborn daughter, Petra. She loves yoga, running, reading, cooking, camping and spending time outdoors with family and friends.

Anna Curtis (Returning to second grade)
Anna is thrilled to be returning to Edna Maguire! After a wonderful year of teaching fourth grade at Strawberry Point, she couldn't be happier about getting back to what she loves most- second grade! She has, however, in her more than 20 years as a teacher, taught every grade from kindergarten through fifth.

When she's not teaching, Anna enjoys her "other life" as a wife and mother of three extremely busy kids. She lives in Novato where she can be found in the stands cheering on her two boys at a lacrosse game, or sitting in a theater watching her daughter sing, dance and act. On the rare occasions she finds time for herself, she likes reading, hiking with her dog, cooking or just having fun with her family and friends.

Meagan Druding (kindergarten)
Meagan has taught elementary school in Marin for four years, three of them in the Mill Valley School District. She's excited to be teaching kindergarten again. In addition to kindergarten, Meagan has also taught first and second grades. She's gained a great perspective on primary school- aged children and a strong understanding of the K-second curriculum. She looks forward to the adventures ahead while teaching at Edna Maguire!

When she's not teaching, Meagan stays busy outdoors and enjoys hiking, running and doing yoga. She also loves spending time with her sister's family, including her niece and nephew, in Walnut Creek. She lives in San Francisco and enjoys trying new restaurants and the many other things the city offers-- especially Giants games!

Jennifer Foskett (first grade)
Jennifer started teaching third grade in Los Angeles while completing her master's degree in education. She then moved to the Bay Area and started teaching at Edna Maguire in 1999. At Edna, she has taught both second and fourth grade and is currently the kindergarten RAMP teacher. When she's not teaching, she enjoys cooking, reading, hiking, yoga and spending time with her family.

Finally, I want to remind you to please remember to register to vote! California voter registration forms are in the office. And with sincere gratitude, I thank you all for your support of Kiddo on our recent Donation Day!

Best Regards,

Lisa Zimmer

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on May 15

Dear Family,

It's no secret that budget shortfalls have created a challenging situation for the Mill Valley School District over the past several years. But, thanks to your support of Kiddo! and our PTAs, our schools so far have avoided the massive program cuts that many districts have suffered. Your contributions to Kiddo! cover the salaries of all of our wonderful art and music teachers, technology specialists and library and classroom aides. I can't imagine our school without these indispensable people.

For the 2012-2013 school year, Kiddo! has committed to raise more than $2.7 million to help fund the gap the district is facing. This amount is needed not only to preserve the vital arts and technology programs our children enjoy, and continue to save library and classroom aides from budget cuts, but this year, your donations to Kiddo! also will pay for P.E. teachers.

We need everyone's help to reach this ambitious goal. Please join in kicking off Kiddo!'s 2012 Annual Giving Campaign by making your donation on Kiddo! Donation Day, Friday, May 4. To meet the funding needs for our district, Kiddo! asks that each family contribute $1,200 or more per student: $950 to preserve existing programs and an additional $250 to save our P.E. program. Every donation counts!! There are three easy ways to give:

Drop - you'll find donation drop boxes at each school, making it fast and easy to make your contribution when you drop off or pick up your child

Click - make your donation online at www.kiddo.org

Mail - send your donation to Kiddo! at 409 Sycamore Ave. Mill Valley, CA 94941

We are also designating May 4 as Kiddo! Spirit Day and asking students, staff and parents to wear red, yellow or black.

I thank each of you in advance for your participation in Kiddo!'s fundraising efforts at any level you can - because only by working together can we provide a high quality education for our kids.

With gratitude,

Lisa Zimmer

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on April 30

Dear Family,

In case you haven't yet heard, we are moving ahead with construction of the new Edna Maguire School this spring. I am thrilled with everything the end result will offer our students, staff and families!

That said, it's not easy to say good-bye to the old Edna Maguire we all love. Together, we've created many special memories within her walls. But change is inevitable--it's time to move forward. It is my mission to support everyone through this process and maintain our school's strong sense of community and family-friendly feel!

In the meantime, we are preparing to move into our interim school, which is being built on site. As you can imagine, it's no small feat to pack and move a school that was opened in 1956. So please PARDON OUR MESS! It's our goal to make this transition as seamless as possible for our children as they finish the school year and prepare for an exciting new place to learn. It will be a hectic. But we will still be OPEN FOR BUSINESS AND LEARNING!

I'm learning more about moving and building a new school than I ever imagined! This is a HUGE undertaking and coordinated team effort. Thank you to all of our staff, parents, PTA, neighbors, the superintendent and other district personnel, the school board, technology department, Van Pelt Construction, and my wonderful administrative assistants, Leslie Fielder and Elaine Harris. I hope I haven't left anyone out! Making this dream a reality wouldn't be possible without all of us working together.

Below, please find some important dates and links to pictures of what's to come! Enjoy!

Edna Maguire Construction Schedule Update:

Week of April 30: Letter to Edna Neighbors about project

Week of May 14: Start site work @ Alto Field for Modular's

June 15: Last Day of School

June 16: Movers on site - Classroom Contents to Storage

June 16, 17: Emergency Service Drills (to be determined)

June 18: Start of Construction

September 1: Substantial Completion of Interim School

September 5: First Teacher Work Day

September 10: First Day of School

Links:

Campus Replacement Plan
Edna Maguire Construction Documents

All the best,

Lisa Zimmer

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on April 2

Dear Family,

I want to thank all of you for making Principal Appreciation Week so extraordinarily special for me! I didn't know there would be an article in the Pony promoting the week-- I even fell for the old "I need to take your picture for the yearbook," story! But I was overwhelmed by your kind words.I truly appreciate all the sweet, thoughtful cards and notes from students and families. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Sincerely,

Lisa Zimmer

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on March 20

Dear Family,

Each year, Edna Maguire elects a teacher for the Golden Bell Teacher Recognition Award. This year, our school staff nominated Nora Thomas. As you know, Nora teaches music to students in kindergarten through third grade in several of our district schools. She is an extraordinary talent who fosters a love of music in her students through playing and teaching instruments, dance instruction, and helping to integrate music into our other curriculum. And in her "spare" time, she directs our choir students! Nora will be honored at the Annual Golden Bell Awards Ceremony on May 17 at Dominican University.

In addition, we also recognize a fifth grader who has worked to make difference in the lives of others with the Elizabeth Terwilliger Student Service Award. This year, the award goes to Carly Toole. Inspired by the World Repair Kit, a book packed with suggestions on how to make the world a better place, Carly took action-- and inspired others to do the same. A few examples of her efforts include organizing a bake sale to raise money for the Haiti earthquake victims and starting a World Repair Club to help fight Malaria. Carly's club raised over $250 for Malaria No More, which she increased to almost $550 by applying for matching corporate grants! Carly will be honored at a ceremony at the Redwoods this spring. 

I am SO PROUD of Carly and Nora--and ALL the talented staff and students at Edna Maguire! And to think that I get to work here!

All the best,

Lisa Zimmer

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on March 5

Dear Family,

Welcome back--it's great to have your kids in our care again!

Over the break, you may have heard your child mention "bucket filling!" Or talk about "bucket dipping." School counselor Jason Mountsier and I have been visiting classrooms to read and discuss the book Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud. It teaches kids that when you treat others kindly, you don't just make them feel good--you feel good, too! You're "filling" their bucket and yours. By the same token, saying or doing unkind things--bucket dipping--hurts everyone. 

I want to thank you for making our Holiday Food Drive a big success. We donated more than 1,800 pounds of food to help feed more than 1500 Marin families! Special thanks to Whole Foods for donating grocery bags and Sasha E. Sanchez for coordinating with the Marin County Food Bank.

Finally, I'm excited to announce that our Conflict Managers have reported for duty! The following students have spent many weeks learning how to resolve conflicts on the playground: Koa Ahumada, Kaia Arvilla, Aaron Bukary, Natalie Bricker, Sophie Cabral, Maeve Cain, Amanda DoValle, Mikey Evans, Ben Gillmer, Audrey Herrera, Lili Ignon, Lauren Marler, Catherine Morgan, Keri Nakae, Dara Noonan, Fiona Norton, Phoebe O'Donnell, Lillian Penther, Juliette Perkins, Gracie Salcunni, Piper Santos, Christian Schultz and Corey Whitehead.

At our last Life Skills Assembly, several members of the team performed a skit to illustrate their new duties. A special thanks to teachers Mrs. Govi and Mrs. Dann for training our Conflict Managers!

Happy Bucket Filling!

Lisa Zimmer

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on January 9

Dear Families,

I wish you all Happy Holidays! Thank you for supporting our Food Drive-- it's been very successful. Your donations will help make the holidays a little happier for families in need in Marin. Enjoy the break with your children and families, and I'll see you in the New Year!

Warm Wishes,

Lisa Zimmer

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on December 12

Dear Family,

With our annual fundraiser, Steeplechase, behind us, words can't adequately express my gratitude for your continued support for our school programs. I also want to thank Cathy Wilmoth, our Steeplechase coordinator, for working tirelessly to organize this event-- and counting every penny that came in!

Our student leader teams, comprised of fourth and fifth graders who want to make a difference in our school, have also been working hard. They are busy with philanthropy projects, recruiting students to be conflict managers and participating in Edna's Student Council.

Our philanthropy team recently collected candy for our troops and is now organizing a Dollar Day for Children in Somalia coming up on November 30. Meanwhile, our Student Council is coordinating a food drive for the Marin County Food Bank that will be held in December. We have a food drive every year. But this year, we also have a chance to win money for our school, thanks to a challenge sponsored by Lindsay Olives (see the LindsayOlivesFlyer.pdf for more details).The group that collects and donates the highest percentage of canned goods and other non-perishable food items for its local food bank will win $3,000 for its school!

Teachers Mrs. Govi and Mrs. Dan are training our fourth and fifth grade conflict managers. These students are learning how to help their fellow students resolve small conflicts on the playground and problem-solve issues as they arise. Look for them in their bright green t-shirts out on the playground soon!

In case you haven't heard, on Fridays, I've been handing out "Oscar Awards" (coveted stuffies of Oscar the Grouch) to the classes with the tidiest lunch areas. As you know, Oscar LOVES trash. Especially when it's put in the trashcan! Mrs. Marks's kindergarten class and Mrs. Stachon's first-grade class are currently tied for earning the most Oscar Awards AND the chance to win an afternoon dance party!

Finally, I want to thank all the parents who attended conferences these past couple of weeks. A strong home-school connection is very important to us and benefits our students.

All the Best,

Lisa Zimmer

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on November 10

Dear Family,

By now you probably know that Steeplechase, our annual PTA fundraiser, is quickly approaching. But did you know that PTA funds cover 95 percent of ALL the things that make Edna Maguire a great school? Only a very small percentage of funding comes from the state and district.

Too often, we think of school needs as supplies like paper, pencils and books. Although Steeplechase does help cover these kinds of costs, it is also critical to our ability to deliver the hands-on, project-based and cross-curricular approach to learning that is the foundation of instruction at Edna Maguire.

In project-based learning, students meet state learning standards by asking questions about a topic and arriving at their own answers. They demonstrate what they've learned by creating projects--often as part of small, teacher-guided teams--and presenting their final work to others. Cross-curricular education strengthens students' skills in science, math, reading, art and music by integrating these subjects into projects related to a specific topic they are studying. Together, these approaches to learning help our students master essential 21st Century Skills, including the very important 3 Cs- Communication, Collaboration and Critical thinking/problem-solving. Project-based learning and cross-curricular education wouldn't be possible without YOUR support through Steeplechase.

Your PTA /Steeplechase dollars enable our teachers to provide these types of learning opportunities. The funds are allocated for classroom supplies and grade-level activities. They also allow our teachers to take students on field trips to places such as Point Bonita, rivers to release trout, NASA, nature preserves, aquariums, farms and Sutter's Fort, to name only a few. In addition, PTA/Steeplechase funds support cross-curriculum studies of topics such as the Miwok Indians, animals, family heritage, the solar system, communities and many, many more. Such projects pique student's curiosity, which in turn encourages them to ask questions about what they are studying.

Without your financial support, we couldn't pay for these hands-on, eyes-on experiences--both in our classrooms and out in the beautiful world we are so lucky to live in. We have a wonderful learning community, and I want to thank you for making it possible!

All the best to you,

Lisa Zimmer

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on October 18

Dear Family,

We're well into our school year, and we're really rolling! I'm proud to announce that Edna Maguire recently won a cash prize of $2,000 from Safe Routes to Schools for increasing our walking, rolling and carpooling to school.This is SO exciting, and it wouldn't have happened without your support! You can read more about our win in this article in the Mill Valley Herald.

Please be sure to sign up with School Pool Marin. The site connects families who want to carpool, bike or walk to and from school together. We get credit for every Edna family that signs up. And be sure to join us on October 12 for our first SCHOOL WALK AND ROLL of the year. We'll meet at the Mill Valley Community Center at 8:00 a.m. and head to Edna at 8:10 sharp.

Because Halloween falls on a Monday this year, I decided it would be less disruptive to our school week, and less tiring for our kids, to hold our annual Halloween Parade and classroom parties on Friday, October 28. The Halloween Parade is one of Edna's most highly-anticipated and fun traditions--you don't want to miss it! The kindergarteners will march through the classrooms at 1 p.m., followed by the remaining grades at 2:15. The parade will culminate on the playground for a final viewing of all the costumes and photo ops. Your child may bring a costume to school to change into, but please leave daggers, knives and other sharp items at home. Watch for more information about the festivities in your classroom newsletters.

Thanks to our third grade classrooms who have been diligently working Car Line since school started, and will continue to do so through October. If at all possible, please sign up when it's your classroom's turn. New this year, you can sign up online with Sign Up Genius. When you do, you'll get a reminder two days before your shift. If you haven't already received your classroom link, you will get it from your child's teacher soon. Even if you don't use Car Line, it's important to support it for our traffic flow and the safety of our students. Plus, it's fun to see our kids' smiling faces first thing in the morning!

Finally, for a short, sweet and easy way to keep up with what's happening at Edna, you can follow me on Twitter (LisaZimmer1)! If you don't have a Twitter account, just go to www.twitter.com to sign up.

Best to you all,

Lisa Zimmer

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on October 3