August 20, 2018

Dear Olinda Families,

Welcome back for the new school year, 2018-2019.  I hope that you had a relaxing summer.  The staff and I are looking forward to an exciting, productive and successful year with your children.

Please join us in welcoming our new staff members:

Kellie Joffee – 1st grade

    Allyson Burkholder – 1st grade

    Lisa Fehr – 4th/5th grade

    Jaswinder Kaur – lunch/yard supervisor

            Mr. Warren – breakfast clerk

            Ms. Simpson – lunch clerk

Parents are integral partners in their child’s education, and are their first teachers.  Your involvement in school and classroom activities will contribute to your child’s achievement and success.

There are many ways that you can become involved and support our Olinda Community.

• School Site Council (SSC)
• Volunteer in classroom
• Monitor lunch recess
• Library
• Crossing Guard
• PTA
• African American Parent Advisory Committee (AAPAC)
• English Language Advisory Committee (ELAC)

Please note, this year the District and school will post student handbooks on their websites.  We will have a few hard copies of Olinda’s handbook available on the counter in front of the office as well as the Parent’s Room.  Please review both handbooks and utilize throughout the year as an ongoing reference and resource. Please complete and submit the designated online forms in the District handbook.  All beginning of the year paperwork will be completed through the online Powerschool registration. A letter with your child’s school ID and instructions to register and create an online account will be provided.  Please connect with our office staff for any support you may need.

We will be keeping up our tradition of character building through the Building Effective Schools Together (BEST), incorporating Restorative Practices and Growth Mindset.  These programs allow for students to use responsible thought-provoking techniques to be more proactive in their decision-making process and promote healthy social interaction.  Students will receive incentives and recognition throughout the year for working at their personal best and practicing positive behavior.

At Olinda We Do Our BEST!

Be Safe

Walk quietly and keep our hands to ourselves.

Practice self-control.

Be Responsible

Be cooperative and follow directions of ALL adults.

Think things through.

Be Respectful

Be polite to people and appreciate one another.

Be a Scholar

Always work at your personal BEST!

We will continue with our morning daily stroll to transition into our educational program for the day. Our morning stroll will begin at 8:15 daily.  During this time students and families are welcome to take a morning brisk walk on the track to prepare for the educational day. The 8:25am bell will signal students to line up.  This year Olinda will participate in a Playworks Team Up program and will have Coach Brandon supporting our students, teachers and staff with Playworks game that promote a positive and inclusive school climate.  He will be on site one week every month, so please welcome him to our community.

Olinda is a uniform school, therefore please make sure students wear uniforms on a daily basis. Research has shown use of school uniforms enhances school safety, improves the learning environment, reduces ethnic and racial tensions, bridges socioeconomic differences between children, promotes good behavior, improves children’s self-respect and self-esteem, and produces cost savings for participating families.  Our uniform colors are khaki, dark blue and white. Olinda t-shirts may be worn every Friday and the last Friday of the month will be a designated free dress day.  In order to promote a college/school and career readiness campus, students may also wear college gear every Friday. This environment lends itself to the learning process, therefore we will maintain our Olinda College wall in the hallway.  We welcome insignias and mascots from colleges/schools attended by our parent and staff community. If your college is not embodied on our college wall, please share a poster, banner or other memorabilia so you can represent!

West Contra Costa Unified School District is a Whole Child Whole Community District.  Through the Common Core State Standards, our students will acquire skills to be college and career ready.  Students and teachers will participate in daily collaborative conversation, create and demonstrate multiple methods of solving problems and receive authentic feedback on performance.  Teachers will implement the use of Class Dojo to offer ongoing communication between school and home, throughout the year.

This year, my commitment and focus will be on leading and managing the instructional program of our school to ensure quality learning for every student at Olinda.  In order to have this come to fruition during the week I will have two full coaching days to support and improve teaching and learning of our educational program. As a result of being in classes so often, we may not always be immediately available to you; however, your communication is important to us.  If you have a question about a particular class, please contact the teacher directly, as we have found that is the most effective way to clarify issues. If you need to schedule time to speak to me, please contact our school secretary Deyda, as she handles my calendar and will schedule you during my office days.

Finally, please note it is imperative for your child to attend school regularly and on time.  Students in grades 1st through 6th that arrive after 8:35 a.m. will need to report to the office first and get a tardy slip prior to going to class.  Kindergarteners will need a tardy slip after 8:30 a.m. and Transitional-Kindergarteners after 9:15 a.m.. Students who have perfect attendance and are on time every day will be recognized in a special way at the end of each trimester.  Please do not bring students earlier than 8:15 a.m. we do not have any supervision and therefore it becomes a safety issue. Students are expected to wait at the ramp past the yellow line until the 8:15am bell rings. Those students that will participate in the breakfast program may go to the MPR between 7:30am and 8:30am.  It is important that all students are picked up on time. If you are not able to pick up your child after the bell, please call the office. Safety is first at Olinda!

Please feel free to call if you have any questions.

Partners in Education,

Amandeep Randhawa

Greetings Olinda Families!

As many know, our school population has increased over the past years, and unfortunately our parking situation stays the same- we are a small community school in a small neighborhood and it's on all of us to make sure the student drop off process is as safe and hassle free as we can make it. To help further that goal, we are partnering with AAA, well known for their automotive roadside services, but maybe you didn't know that they have been conducting a student safety program since 1920. Working with Parent or community volunteers and students, we hope to ease some congestion as you drop your child off in the mornings and pick up in the afternoons. To make this happen- we need both adult volunteers to participate both in the mornings at drop off starting at 8:10 am, and in the afternoons at pick up times starting at 1:50 (earlier on minimum days) and student volunteers to act as our safety patrollers. Safety equipment such as vests, flags, and badges to be available an are to be worn by students and adult volunteers. Student patrollers will not be directing traffic- rather they will:

• help children cross streets safely
• assist with vehicle loading and unloading
• foster qualities of leadership and good citizenship

If you and/or your child is interested in joining this team, they need to be able to get to school by 8 am on the days they are scheduled to have a turn. Not every student will have to volunteer every day- we hope to have a large group to take turns.

This program depends on parent/guardian/community member adults to also be positioned at the crosswalk and the parking lot as supports to the safety patrolling students.  We ask that adult volunteers have or are planning to get their badge through the West Contra Costa district in order to participate.

Permission to Participate:

I hearby allow my student: _______________________________________________________

to participate in the Olinda Elementary AAA Safety Patrol. I understand the time commitments and can pledge to be there on: (circle those that apply)

Monday AM  PM | Tuesday AM  PM | Wednesday AM  PM | Thursday AM PM  | Friday AM PM

Signed____________________________________

Email: ____________________________________

Phone: ____________________________________

Olinda provides a safe and supportive environment where all students can develop to their fullest potential academically, emotionally and socially. Our goal is to partner with parents and the community to ensure that all students are college and career ready, in order to be productive and successful citizens.