5:30pm - 7:30pm
School Cafeteria
Join Sunnyside families, students and staff for our International Potluck featuring delicious food and lots of fun. Wear an international outfit and bring something from another country to share.
Please bring an international salad or main dish to serve at least 8 adults, depending on your last name.
Last name starts:
A - L bring a salad or vegetable
M - Z bring a main dish - please label vegetarian dishes
Remember: label all your dishes with your child’s name and room.
Return the form to your teacher.
Sunnyside Elementary
PTA Times
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Principal: Nancy Schlenke
PTA President: Kari Gray
PTA everychild.onevoice.®
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PTA Meeting January 25th, 2009 , 5:30pm
Come and meet other parents at the monthly PTA meeting and learn about what is going on at Sunnyside. FREE refreshments and childcare provided.
During the January business meeting the PTA Bylaw Amendments and Standing Rules will be presented to the membership for approval. Both Bylaws and Standing Rules require two-thirds (2/3rd) vote of the membership in attendance for passage.
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Winter Read-a-thon Results
Thanks students and parents for making the Read-A-Thon a success; 140 students read 50579 minutes, or 843 hours. .
Winning classrooms will receive a grade level appropriate reference book, either a dictionary, atlas, or thesaurus.
- Kindergarten- Ms. Converse’s class read 7178 minutes.
- 1st Grade - Ms. Quillin’s class read 4216 minutes.
- 2nd Grade - Ms. Bell’s class read 5294 minutes.
- 3rd Grade - Ms. Lee’s class read 5803 minutes.
- School Winners - Ms. Rensman 4th/5th Grade Class read 9494 minutes and will have a pizza party.
Individual winners received a $10 Scholastic Books gift certificate.
- Kindergarten– Gabriel Amrull from Ms. Converse’s class.
- 1st Grade – Quinn Armentrout & Olivia Chaplin from Ms. Quillin’s class.
- 2nd Grade –John Luiz Agranum from Ms. Bell’s class.
- 3rd Grade – Eve Ngyuen from Ms. Lee’s class.
School Winner –
Una Chan from Ms. Hilmoe’s class received a $25 Scholastic Books gift certificate
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“Tap the Sky” Grant Awarded to Sunnyside
Sunnyside Elementary, in conjunction with the SFUSD Department of Sustainability and Green Schoolyard Alliance, has been awarded a grant to implement a rainwater reclamation program. The addition of a rainwater cistern to the school garden will give students a more complete picture of ecology, life sciences, and sustainability concepts. Sunnyside students will use the rainwater harvesting, composting and vermiculture programs to make a self sustainable, organic school garden.
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Help Wanted! 2010 Sunnyside Events
Sunnyside needs your help. Contact Kari Gray at kehgray@yahoo.com if you can help with any of these projects or events
JANUARY 16 10:00am– Bring your chainsaws, hedge clippers, shovels, work gloves, loppers and other gardening tools. We need to remove shrubs and hedges to prepare the beds for planting. Contact Cathy Meyer at (415) 794-2203 or mulkeymeyer@ att.net if you are available
January 21st - Math and Science Night
5:00 to 7:30pmFood Sales and Donations
Drop off baked goods in the office or help sell food in the cafeteria at 5:00pm . Prepare a potluck dish for the teachers to eat before the event starts. If you would like to help your student’s classroom with their project, contact their teacher directly. Contact Katy Nelson at pkweir@comcast.net or (415) 216-8773 if you can help.
Saturday, February 6 & 20
10:00am - Amend soil, install beds, reseed grass, plant flowering shrubs and drought tolerant plants. Contact Cathy Meyer at (415) 794-2203 or mulkeymeyer@ att.net if you are available.
International Potluck Set-up and clean up
Thursday, Feb 11 5:00pm- Greet and manage volunteers, accept food donations and set up cafeteria and hallways for event. Help clear tables and get the cafeteria ready for the next school day. Contact Kari Gray at kehgray@yahoo.com to volunteer.
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SpringFest 2010 - Planning Meeting
Wednesday, February 3rd at 5:30pm
School Library
It’s time to start planning for SpringFest! SpringFest will be Saturday, May 22.Come to our first meeting to find out more about our biggest event of the year. Share your ideas about raffle prizes, carnival games, food sales, and the student art show.
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2010 Sunnyside Events - At a Glance
Math and Science Night
Thursday, January 21st 5:30pm – 7:30pm
Please join us for fun games and activities!
Parents, caregivers and students visit each classroom to do hands-on math or science projects together. Students get their Math & Science Passports “stamped” to receive a small participation prize.
Pizza and baked goods will be available for sale from 5:00pm to 6:00pm in the cafeteria for an early dinner. If you can help set up or sell pizza, meet in the cafeteria at 5:00pm . If you can donate baked goods, please leave them in the office before 5pm. Contact Katy Nelson at pkweir@comcast.net or (415) 216-8773 if you can help.
International Potluck Dinner
Thursday, February 11th 5:30 – 7:30pm
Hope to see all our Sunnyside friends for a cherished tradition, the International Potluck Dinner held in the cafeteria/auditorium. Bring a favorite potluck dish to share with your Sunnyside friends. If you can help set up, clean up or serve food, look for the sign up forms going home soon! Katy Nelson at pkweir@comcast.net or (415) 216-8773 if you can help.
Work has started near the Kindergarten entrance. Eight shrubs and some stumps were removed to make the area compliant with SFUSD landscaping regulations.
This month a landscaping schematic will be prepared, including: Benches, ornamental drought tolerant plants, and a Sunnyside Elementary sign above the entrance. Potted plants will also be strategically placed on top of the brick walls lining the stairway, making the stairs safer – no more kids jumping off the wall!
Lori Chaplin procured a bike rack from the school district. The bike rack will be installed as part of this project. Another Community Challenge Grant build day will be scheduled soon – look for the flyer in your Wednesday envelopes. Cathy - (415) 794-2203 or mulkeymeyer@att.net
The Sunnyside Library will host a Barefoot Book Fair November 16-20. This will be our second annual Barefoot Fair! Barefoot Books is a very unique children’s publisher whose books encourage kids to “explore, create and connect” to the world around them with a wonderful mix of beautiful artwork and whimsical, thought-provoking text. Check out their website at: www.barefootbooks.com.
This Fair is a benefit for the Sunnyside Library, and volunteers are needed during preview times and sales times throughout the week and at the Family Night, which will be on Wednesday, November 17th, from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. Monday and Tuesday will be preview days where classes rotate through the Fair to get a first look at the books and merchandise (the Fair includes related puppets, puzzles and other educational toys.) Then the Fair will be open before and after school and during recess and lunch so that children can browse and purchase. Families are welcome any time during the Fair, but Family Night will provide a time for working parents and guardians to visit. There will also be a way to purchase online with all profits going to the Sunnyside Library.
Please support our beautiful library and volunteer to help at the fair! If you’d like to help out, email me at akalulu58@sbcglobal .net. Thank you for supporting
the Sunnyside Library! ~ Laura
There has been a lot of activity in the garden over the past month. Some students brought seeds and cuttings from home to plant in the containers. Others transplanted class projects and will be able to see the plants complete a life cycle for the first time.
Projects Completed in September & October
Thank you to David Bouche, Sheila Cahill, Riz Gauche, Miri Kim, Sean Lynch, Joe Meyer, and Sam Tonroy for coming on the September 25th Garden Build Day. They were able to finish the shed, amend soil in the existing containers, and build new ½ barrel containers to provide more space to accommodate the growing student population.
As this is only the second growing season for the garden, the goal for this semester is simple – to grow plants to maturity. Over the past two weeks, most of the classes have sowed seeds, transplanted flowers and root tops in their containers. Thank You to Wendy Chisholm, Karen Franklin, Julie Kessler, Katy Nelson, Dana Pluck, Julie Tonroy, and Suzanne Walsh for helping the students plant seeds!
Seeds have already germinated in Ms. Yee’s and Ms. Plack’s containers. If all goes well the students will harvest and eat their vegetables in December. The classes will also harvest seeds to be planted during the next growing season.
Fall Semester Projects
Compost Bin - The bin will be constructed during the October 24th CCG build day. Students will compost snack scraps to support the container gardens, which require more amendment than gardens grown directly in the ground. Composting will also give students a more complete picture of ecology as a whole system.
Vermiculture Bins – Worm bins are another way to expose students to the entire life cycle. Over time, the students will see the worms break down paper towels and food scraps – creating nutrient rich soil amendment. Worm offspring will be added to the garden containers and the worm castings will be used to “brew” compost tea.
Goals for 2010
- Grow plants to establish an annual SpringFest plant sale.
- Write grants to fund a part-time garden coordinator.
- Work with teachers to integrate the use of the garden as a classroom tool.
- Install drip irrigation to support the established ornamental garden surrounding the play structure.
- Experiment with plants that attract butterflies, native species, companion planting, and herbs.
The garden program welcomes any ideas you have. Some projects may take longer to implement, but like all gardens ours needs a little time and TLC to grow. Please contact Cathy Meyer at mulkeymeyer@ att.net if you would like to become more involved.
Planning Meeting
Monday, Sept 21
5pm - Time Changed from Newsletter
Room 107, Ms. Chen’s room
Octoberfest is a fun community event for the school. We set up a carnival in the cafeteria on Thursday. Friday, all the students take turns coming into the cafeteria to play games or do crafts. Just before lunch, there is a parade in the yard with dancing(!) and the older kids come to the cafeteria in the afternoon.
Please bring your ideas about other fun activities you think we can organize. If you can’t attend the planning meeting, please email or phone Kari with your ideas. Her contact information is in the bright yellow Involvement Guide you received at the beginning of the year.
We usually send a volunteer and donation form home in the Wednesday envelope and also online in an email. Then we make a list of things to do. If you are able to help coordinate the task lists or volunteers, please let Kari know.
Sunnyside’s biggest annual community event and fundraiser is Saturday, May 30 from 11am - 2pm. The festivities include a plant sale, games, prizes, entertainment, food and raffle.
The wonderful student art sale and auction will also return to the festival this year. Student artwork from our art programs will be available to buy and class aprons will be auctioned off.
Please plan to attend and invite your friends, family and neighbors to our fun event.
Next Planning Meeting and Volunteer Sign up: Monday, May 11, Library
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
Thanks to Sunnyside students for their enthusiasm for the garden!
Thanks to Sunnyside teachers for participating in the seed-germination activities last week and for their interest in the garden. Thanks especially to Kindergarten teacher Leah Plack, a strong supporter of the garden from day 1.
Thanks to Principal Nancy Schlenke for her support of and advocacy for the garden effort.
Thanks to the Green Schoolyard Alliance of SFUSD for its support of our garden effort and donation of 3 planter beds. Thanks to San Francisco ReBuilding Together for the donation of 3 planter beds.
Thanks to Lowe’s of South San Francisco for its generous Toolbox grant to launch our garden.
Thanks to Reva Bhatia for using her grant-writing mojo in the garden effort.
Thanks to Sloat Garden Center for organic seed donations (and to Cathy Meyer for making it happen).
Thanks to Sam Tonroy for designing a planter bench that will serve Sunnyside kids for years to come.
Thanks to Kim Kreis for creating the beautiful wall poster in the school’s entryway and thanks to Greg Chisolm for hanging it so securely.
Thanks to Sanjay of Bayview Green Waste Management for donations of truckloads of warm, sweet-smelling compost/soil that filled our planter boxes (and Sam Tonroy for making it happen).
Thanks to Sam Tonroy, Joe Meyer, and Sean Lynch for building a beautiful, redwood planter-bench prototype, soon to be replicated at our next garden work day, Saturday, March 21.
Thanks to Cathy Meyer for planning, organizing, and executing the seed germination activities in the classrooms.
Thanks to folks who helped assemble the seed-germination kits during the Feb. 21st garden work day: Troy (Wes’ dad), Mike Tzortzes, PTA Prez Kari Gray and her lovely son, and Ellen Cox.
Thanks to parents who volunteered in the classrooms for the seed-germination activities: Cathy Meyer, Eric Westby, Kristie, Julie Tonroy, Kelly Kocella, Karen Franklin, Ellen Cox, Kari Gray, and Wendy Chisholm.
Thanks to teachers Leah Plack and Kit Bell for opening the school up early on Saturday mornings for perhaps overly-enthusiastic parents.
Thanks to Mr. Yee for locking up the school after the Feb. 21st work day.
Thanks to Jenny Isenberg and Amy Nelson for making a cash donation to the garden effort.
Thanks to Jenny Isenberg, Lynda (Wesley’s mom), and Karen Franklin for taking photographs to document the garden effort.
Thanks to Sunnyside PTA for its support and resources.
An enormous thanks to Cathy Meyer, who has given so much of her time, enthusiasm, and ideas to the garden effort with no indication of slowing down anytime soon!
I hope I didn’t forget anyone!
What’s coming next:
Saturday, March 21: Garden Work Day
We will need many hands to build planter benches, create planting kits for students to transplant seedlings into garden plots, do container gardening, and more. Principal Schlenke will be hosting a SFUSD information session for incoming K parents who did not get any of their lottery choices from Round 1, so please come and let Sunnyside shine! More details to come.
Week of March 23: Transplanting Seedlings into Planter Boxes
Volunteers are needed to help teachers and students transplant their seedlings into the garden plots.
9am – 12noon
Meet in School Cafeteria
Sponsored by the PTA
Join Sunnyside families, students and staff to sweep, dust and clean our classrooms. Teachers will prepare a list of cleaning and organizing tasks for their rooms. You can either help your own teacher or any other classroom.
We provide some cleaning supplies, but you may want to bring your own supplies, rags or rubber gloves. Refreshments will be provided afterwards.
Please help if you can. You can
- rent a steam carpet cleaning machine and bring it to the school on Saturday morning.
- donate cleaning supplies and old rags
- purchase bolts and screws to repair desks (will be reimbursed)
- help greet and assign volunteers to tasks and hand out cleaning supplies
- drive a load of trash to the dump afterwards
- take donations to Goodwill or another thrift store.
- help supervise the children in the yard.
- donate $$ for supplies. (Cash or Check to Sunnyside PTA)
Thanks for helping make our school shine like the top of the Chrysler Building!
Friday, Oct. 31 is October-fest, Sunnyside School’s annual fall festival. We’ve had terrific response to our sign-up sheets, however we still need help running games booths in the afternoon on the day of the event. If you have an hour to spare on Friday, come and play a game with the kids at school. Feel free to just show up or contact Kelly Kocella and tell her you want to help.