December 18, 2020

 Happy Holidays from the Wright Family

Thank you for everything you DO for our students!! I hope that you have time to enjoy some time off with family and friends. I am going to say it again, I am so lucky to work with such a dedicated group of teachers that will take NO EXCUSES to ensure that our students are successful!! Happy Holidays and have a Happy New Year!!

We, as educators, can be that one person in a child’s life that can make a difference. Watch the video below: Brings tears to my eyes every time!!

Why Teaching Kindness in Schools Is Essential to Reduce Bullying  OCTOBER 17, 2014

Phrases like "random acts of kindness" and "pay it forward" have become popular terms in modern society. It seems that we just can't get enough of those addictive, feel-good emotions -- and with good reason. Scientific studies prove that kindness has many physical, emotional, and mental health benefits. And children need a healthy dose of the warm-and-fuzzies to thrive as healthy, happy, well-rounded individuals.

Patty O'Grady, PhD, an expert in neuroscience, emotional learning, and positive psychology, specializes in education. She reports:  Kindness changes the brain by the experience of kindness. Children and adolescents do not learn kindness by only thinking about it and talking about it. Kindness is best learned by feeling it so that they can reproduce it.

The Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District maintains Board Policies and Administrative Regulations that provide guidance to the operations of the district based on current State and Federal law.  Please read the following policies listed below.

BP 1312.3 Uniform Complaint Procedures AR 1312.3 Uniform Complaint Procedures BP 3290 Gifts, Grants and Bequests

Pursuant to 5 CCR 4610, districts are required to adopt a uniform system of procedures that meets specified requirements for investigating and resolving complaints alleging (1) noncompliance with state and federal laws and regulations governing educational programs; (2) noncompliance with state law prohibiting the charging of student fees; or (3) unlawful discrimination (such as discriminatory harassment, intimidation, and bullying). BP/AR 1312.3 outline the expectations and procedures FSUSD follows related to such complaints. If an FSUSD staff member secures a donation for a classroom or school, the staff member should understand that as an employee, the donation is to the District.  BP 3290 outlines the steps that must be followed when accepting a donation.  If the FSUSD staff member uses DonorsChoose.org, the DonorsChoose website emphasizes that the materials funded through DonorsChoose are the property of the public school, and if a teacher leaves the school, the items remain at the school.

December 11, 2020

 

It was so hard to say goodbye to this man. He was my world after my mom died. He played the role of both parents and never let us give up on anything in life. He drove us to work hard and supported us every step of the way. He raised all of us like boys. In the Indian culture there are certain traits that women should have and certain traits men should have. He made sure that we knew that we could and be anything we wanted to be BUT we definitely HAD to get an education. There was absolutely no way to get out of that! There are so many things I am going to miss. We were so lucky to have him around as long as we did. Thank you for your support and kind words during this time. It really helped :) Monday is my birthday and as many of you know, I lost my mom when I was 11 years old to cancer. During my birthday I always tend to miss her the most! She was only 41 when she died and since my 41st birthday I feel so lucky to be alive and to be with my family. I will be turning 49, so I will be partaking in 49 random acts of kindness. We will not be able to go to San Francisco because of COVID. I actually had started with my random acts in November. The biggest one is giving back to my community by helping to reseed it. My mom was an immigrant and taught all four of us the art of giving back to our community. She was a teacher and because we lived in a community of immigrants many of the women would come to her for guidance. Our house was always that house, there was always someone over. I learned so much from my mom in the few years I had with her.

The Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District maintains Board Policies and Administrative Regulations that provide guidance to the operations of the district based on current State and Federal law.  Please read the following policies listed below.

   Board Policy                         Description 

BP 3514, Environmental Safety AR 3514, Environmental Safety

The Governing Board recognizes its obligation to provide a safe and healthy environment at school facilities for students, staff, and community members.  Staff and students shall be asked to refrain from bringing common irritants such as furred or feathered animals, stuffed toys that may collect dust mites, scented candles, incense, or air fresheners and from using perfume or cologne, scented lotion or hair spray, nail polish or nail polish remover, or other personal care products that are not fragrance-free in classrooms or other enclosed areas or buildings. BP 3514 and AR 3514 outline measures to support air quality for staff and students.

BP 5131.2 Bullying BP 5145.9 Hate Motivated Behavior BP 4119.21 Professional Standards BP 4212.3/4312.3 Oath or Affirmation

The Governing Board recognizes the harmful effects of bullying on student well-being, student learning, and school attendance and desires to provide a safe school environment that protects students from physical and emotional harm. No individual or group shall, through physical, written, verbal, visual, or other means, harass, sexually harass, threaten, intimidate, cyberbully, cause bodily injury to, or commit hate violence against any student or school personnel, or retaliate against them for filing a complaint or participating in the complaint resolution process. Board Policy 5131.2 - Bullying, and Board Policy 5145.9 - Hate Motivated Behavior, outline the process that teachers and administrators must follow related to preventing, and/or addressing such behavior. The Governing Board expects district employees to maintain the highest ethical standards, behave professionally, follow district policies and regulations, abide by state and federal laws, and exercise good judgment when interacting with students and other members of the school community.  BP 4119.21 - Professional Standards - outlines these expectations. BP 4212.3 and 4312.3 reflect the Government Code requirements that public employees are disaster service workers.

Observable Fish Moments at SV:

Be There: Thank you Janice for helping out at the staff meeting. Kristin thank you for handling so many things while I was out. 

Play: Please make sure you fill out at least one good news referral a week. 

Choose your attitude: Be kind. Be kind. Be kind. Be kind. 

Make Their Day:  A huge thank you to Kristin and Vicky to making phone calls and ensuring we had 100% of our meal applications in. We won $2,500 for our site budget!! WOOHOO!!  

November 20, 2020

 

This past weekend family and friends joined me in volunteering to reseed some of

our burned hillsides in Vacaville. On Saturday we helped out Zinger Ranch.

We planted native grasses, acorns, and pollinators. This should help with erosion

as well as provide food for local honeybees. We had a great time and look forward

to our next reseeding opportunity.

ENCOURAGING CAMERAS ON!

I read a great article on ways to encourage students to turn their cameras on. From playing a game, to giving them options, to using ice breakers, we want to encourage them to turn their cameras on. We know, however, that this cannot be forced (and even with parent permission, need to be done carefully).

While this article is focused on Zoom users, there are some very helpful ideas on how we can get students to feel more comfortable in turning their cameras on even if for a brief moment. After building relationships with our students and polling them, they may have some "out of the box" ideas on how they can show their face or space on camera!

----->Take a look at the full article HERE!<-----

Several of you have asked about food service for our students. Please encourage our

families to apply for free and reduced lunch on the FSUSD website through the child

nutrition department. 

Please post this on your Google Classroom and send out in your newsletters. 

As a result of teachers posting the link in their Google Classroom, several more parents

submitted applications. If you would like to do the same, here are links your teachers

can use: 

For electronic submittal: My School Apps (FSUSD) (parents can toggle to select their preferred language at the top of the webpage)

PLEASE WELCOME

Starting November 30th, Mrs. Kalyuta will be going on Maternity leave until late February. Mrs. Del Dotto and Mrs. Butler will be the long term subs during this time. Please see notes from each of them below. 

Hello, 

My name is Meredith Del Dotto and I am looking forward to teaching ELA and

History during Mrs. Kalyuta's leave.  I have been a long term sub for about

8 years and have been subbing for 12 years.  All three of our boys attended

Suisun Valley from Kindergarten to 8th grade and it has a warm place in my

heart. Feel free to contact me at meredithd@fsusd.org

 

Hi!

 My name is Sandra Butler and I am going to be joining Meredith Del Dotto as a

substitute teacher for you 8th graders!  

A little bit about me...

I have been a FSUSD substitute teacher off and on since 1995.  I used to

substitute teach quite a bit at Suisun Valley School. I even taught 8th grade

for a month from November thru December while they were looking for a full

time teacher. Not only was I a substitute teacher, I also taught an art class for

K-8 classes and an after school art class at Suisun Valley School. 

My two sons, Blake and Spencer Butler, had the privilege of attending Suisun

Valley School from kindergarten thru 8th grade!  Blake is now 25 years old and

Spencer is 23 years old. Meredith's and my children grew up together!  Thank

you for bringing me on board and I look forward to meeting all of you! 

I am thankful for a wonderful school community, loving family, friends, and that we are all healthy. This holiday season we are thinking of others  and helping out families in need, whether it is reseeding farms or delivering meals to families. My dad had his surgery on Monday night and has been in a medically induced coma since then.  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and be safe. Put your phones and computers away if you can. 

Board Policy Information 

The Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District maintains Board Policies and Administrative Regulations that provide guidance to the operations of the district based on current State and Federal law.  Please read the following policies listed below.

BP 5141.4 Child Abuse Prevention and Reporting AR 5141.4 Child Abuse Prevention and Reporting

Pursuant to Education Code 44691, the California Department of Education (CDE) is required to disseminate information to all school districts regarding the detection and reporting of child abuse and to provide guidance on the responsibilities of mandated reporters.  The Governing Board is committed to supporting the safety and well-being of district students and desires to facilitate the prevention of and response to child abuse and neglect.

BP 5145.3 Nondiscrimination/Harassment AR 5145.3 Nondiscrimination/Harassment

Education Code 234.1 mandates that districts adopt policy prohibiting, at school or in any school activity related to school attendance or under the authority of the district, discrimination, including discriminatory harassment, intimidation, and bullying, based on the foregoing characteristics. The Administrative Regulation identify the employee(s) designated to coordinate the district's efforts to comply with state and federal civil rights laws (e.g. Title IX and Section 504 coordinators), including the investigation and resolution of discrimination complaints under AR 1312.3 - Uniform Complaint Procedures.

November 13, 2020

I have this picture in my office of my dad. He is on one of our oldest tractors (his favorite) as we were harvesting prunes. I know he isn't all dressed up and posed with a smile. We have plenty of pictures like that. I chose this picture because I spent over 35 years working side by side with him on the farm on a tractor all year long. This reminds me that everything we do may not be easy but we do it because we enjoy it. And I will say I did enjoy farming with him. Last week my dad had a horrible fall and he hit his head. At first, we thought that he only had a concussion but the next day he was speaking nonsense so he was rushed to the hospital and we learned that he has a brain bleed. Since then the surgery has been postponed for one reason or another and now he has pneumonia. We can't go see him because of COVID (thank goodness for Facetime) but they are allowing the same two people see him. Sarbjit and Jaz are taking turns to keep him company. It has been a week since he has been there and I hope he gets better soon :)

Suisun Valley STAFF  has adopted a family here in Fairfield. We have adopted family #21 and they have 6 children.  If you would like to participate just drop off your donations in our front office. The family is asking for gift cards from Target or Walmart. Remember even a $5 or $10 gift card can make a difference :) All gift cards have to be dropped off in our front office before Dec. 3 so I can drop them off on Dec. 4

State Board of Education Approves Shorter Standardized Tests to Give Schools Flexibility Amidst COVID-19 Uncertainties

Please read this article: https://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/ne/yr20/yr20rel90.asp

As an educator and a parent myself, conferences can lead to a perspective where I can understand both positions. Parents want their children to feel safe, be happy and learn at school. I know EVERY parent wants this. That is why it is SO important that we make them feel welcome and part of the team when making decisions. Parent/teacher/student conferences is a great time to build relationships with parents. A great question to ask yourself is what do I want from my child's teacher? How would I want to be included? If my child was struggling with online learning how would I like to be approached?

Have you planned to have your students lead part of the parent/teacher conference? This can easily be done by using the RIT goals students have set for themselves. GREAT ARTICLE CLICK HERE

Honor roll and perfect attendance awards and certificates will be mailed out on Friday, Nov. 20.

Observable Fish Moments at SV:

Be There: Thank you Heather H., Jamie, and Katie for keeping up with AR PPT every week!

Play: Thank you for taking time and connecting with your students.

Choose your attitude: Your attitude can decide how you will feel for the rest of the day- EVERY DAY!!

Make Their Day:   Thank you Heather M. and Daniel for having a special lunch planned with a student in their drive way! Thank you Sarah and Jen for delivering AR goal signs to your students.

November 6, 2020

Watch this! It is pretty awesome!! 

Dear Perfectionist Teacher, Your Small Win Is a Big Win in 2020

by Julie Mason

I have been thinking about perfection and teaching a lot lately. So many teachers are sharing on social media that they don’t feel like they are doing enough or they aren’t good enough. It’s heartbreaking to see the lengths that teachers are going to do better and be better, especially this year. Perfectionist teacher, I see you. I tried to be a perfect teacher. It was impossible and made it very hard. While there is no quick fix, there are a few things we can do to be kinder to ourselves. Here are the lessons my teacher friends have taught me along the way. 

• Your small win is a big win-  If you are a perfectionist you are really hard on yourself, and it’s difficult to turn off your negative self-talk. Learn to be kinder to yourself. It’s not easy to change your chatter, but if you’re looking for a place to begin, start noticing your small wins.

• There’s no perfect 10 in teaching 

• The glow instead of the grow-  I started asking them to share a glow and a grow from the week. What did they feel went well? What did we need to work on?

• You’re not good at everything, but you’re good at a lot 

• Your productivity doesn’t make you a good teacher- I know. Bear with me here. Working hard is something to be proud of. But working hard isn’t what makes you a good teacher. Taking the time to ask a student how they are doing and really listening to their answer makes you a good teacher. Recognizing that your students are frustrated, and pausing your lesson to take a break makes you a good teacher. Realizing that you are exhausted and hungry, and not finishing your grading so you can make something to eat and get some sleep makes you a good teacher.

Celebrate these small moments, and see them for what they are: big wins. You are showing up every day despite the uncertainty, anxiety, and impossibility of pandemic teaching. Celebrate that for what is: a big win.

District Writing Assessment (POSTPONED)

FSUSD writing assessment is postponed for this year while in distance learning. Once a plan is

finalized to make improvements to the DWA, information will be shared.

Teachers please support our school fundraiser https://www.valleyofthemoonfundraising.com/

Congratulations to Fern for our site teacher of the year! Your hard work and dedication to our students is impressive. 

Board Policy Information - please read

The Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District maintains Board Policies and Administrative

ions that provide guidance to the operations of the district based on current State and

Federal law.  Over the next few months, this document will highlight one or

two policies that are required to be shared annually with FSUSD staff. 

BP 4119.21 Professional Standards BP 4212.3/4312.3 Oath or Affirmation

The Governing Board expects district employees to maintain the highest ethical standards, behave professionally, follow district policies and regulations, abide by state and federal laws, and exercise good judgment when interacting with students and other members of the school community.  BP 4119.21 - Professional Standards - outlines these expectations. BP 4212.3 and 4312.3 reflect the Government Code requirements that public employees are disaster service workers.

Observable Fish Moments at SV:

Be There: Thank you for working hard EVERY single day!!

Play: Thank you for dressing up during our spirit days.

Choose your attitude: Your attitude can decide how you will feel for the rest of the day- EVERY DAY!!

Make Their Day:   Make at least one positive phone home this week. 

October 30, 2020

Parent-teacher conferences can be a challenge even at the best of times. Adding technology to a virtual conference can feel like a blessing or a curse—or both. The good news is, the general purpose of a conference remains the same. You and the parents are both there to help create the best possible outcomes for the student. It’s just the format that’s a little different. We’ve put together answers to some of the biggest questions teachers have about conducting virtual parent-teacher conferences. Take a look, and remember: You’ve got this! CLICK HERE to read more. 

https://www.hollyclark.org/2020/10/13/how-to-use-jamboard-10-ideas-to-get-you-jammin/

Observable Fish Moments at SV:

Be There:  Janice thank you so much for your support and guidance with our point based grade book. 

Play:  How are you keeping it fun during distance learning? 

Choose your attitude: Your attitude can decide how you will feel for the rest of the day- EVERY DAY!!

Make Their Day:   Thank you Carlos for cleaning up our campus after our windy days on Monday and Tuesday.  

October 24, 2020

No matter how many times a student tells you they don’t care about school or whether they succeed, remember that no child wants to be a failure. Some will try and convince you otherwise, but it is in those moments that they need you most. Believe in all kids and believe in your own ability to influence them. 

Some feedback from student leader meeting: 

• Students still struggle asking for help even with open office hours

• Knowing which students are struggling reach out to them and make an appointment with them during office hours instead of waiting for them to make an appointment- this was a suggestion from a student

• Students feel overwhelmed with too much busy work

• Make sure you are giving a 2 to 3 minute break to get water or stretch, even for our upper grade students

• Send feedback surveys to students and see what they have to say

Some helpful distance learning platforms. Thank you Colleen

Distance Learning Toolbelt PPT

Just a friendly reminder that our 1st Trimester Report Card Window is from October 28th to November 20th, 2020. Start date for Parent visibility in Illuminate, is November 15th.

If you are a teacher who will be getting a new computer- MAKE SURE you back up any of your Microsoft word documents because your new computer will NOT have that software on it. 

Dress Up Days next week - send me pics so I can put them on Instagram

Observable Fish Moments at SV:

Be There:  Thank you to several grade levels that did supply pick ups this week. 

Play:  How are you keeping it fun during distance learning? 

Choose your attitude: Your attitude can decide how you will feel for the rest of the day- EVERY DAY!!

Make Their Day:   Thank you Kristin and Vicky for keeping our front office running smoothly every day!!