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Do you have a child who will be 5 years old by this winter?  Early Admission Kindergarten enrollment will begin on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009.

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On July 8^th, our school board approved a new, two-year kindergarten class at Creekside.  This class is designed for students who are on the young end of the enrollment window.  Very often these students struggle in school because we have behavior expectations that are not reasonable for their age.  I have reviewed a study that indicates these students often continue to perform below the level of the older students as far as fourth grade.  The study also shows that there are fewer students in four-year colleges who are on the young end of the age window compared to students on the older end.  To compensate for this age disadvantage, we are offering a two-year program similar to one that has been in place in the Poway school district for several years. 

The basic facts of the program are:

     It is open to students whose 5^th birthday is between June 1^st and December 2^nd of this year. 

     Students will have the same teacher and classmates for two years.

     The curriculum will paced according to their ability.

If you think this class might be right for you child, you should consider that:

     I will ask you for a verbal commitment to keep your child in the program for two years.

     The kindergarten curriculum will be stretched to cover two years, so it is not reasonable to expect that a child will be ready for first grade after one year in this program.

     The teacher will teach at the level appropriate for the students and in the second year may extend beyond the regular curriculum if appropriate.

I want to emphasize that the concern with younger students is more about behavior than academic ability.  Readiness for kindergarten is not based just on whether a child knows letters and numbers.  To decide whether your child is ready for the regular kindergarten program, you should ask yourself:

     Can he follow two or three step directions?

     Can she sit still for 15 minutes and pay attention?

     Can he tolerate frustration and disappointment?  (Like not being able to do something that his classmates can do, or having to take turns, share and wait.)

     Can she play cooperatively and be aware of the needs of other children?

     Can he hold a pencil and use scissors?

If you think this program might be the right placement for your child, please email me at kmalcom@alpineschools.net with your child’s name, birthday and your contact information.  I will respond to confirm the receipt of your request.  If you have already enrolled your child, that is all you have to do.  If you have not already enrolled your child, please pick up an enrollment packet as soon as possible at the district office, 1323 Administration Way (behind CVS Drug Store.)  When you have completed that packet, return it to the Creekside office.  I will be alone in the office until August 12th so please call ahead to be sure I am there to meet you.

At this time I am planning to open only one two-year class of twenty students and the class will be filled on a first come, first served basis.  If you have any questions, please email me at any time.  I will be in the school office starting August 4^th.  

I am excited about implementing this class and I believe it will be a good thing for our students.

Creekside Open House

Open House is an opportunity for our Creekside students to share their classroom, classroom work and their teacher with their family. What a great turnout we had Thursday night! I enjoyed seeing parents, siblings, and grandparents visiting classrooms, our piano keyboard lab, MIND Institute program in the computer lab and the Art Show. Our awesome PTA was recognized for their hard work and dedication to raising funds to purchase our MIND Institute program, buses for field trips, supplementary materials for classroom activities, and special activities for our staff.

April 28, 2008

Dear Parents,

On April 9^th, the Board of Trustees accepted my recommendation and approved charging a fee for school bus transportation starting in the 2008/09 school year. This was done reluctantly, but was a necessary action given the dismal outlook for education funding in the state budget.

School districts are not required to provide school bus transportation. The costs of transportation have risen so dramatically over the past few years that many school districts have eliminated transportation entirely as school funding has gotten more and more problematic. This year, the budget outlook for the next school year is catastrophic and charging a fee for transportation will allow us to maintain that service and keep other programs which are more directly related to children’s education.

Those families who qualify for the National School Lunch Free and Reduced Price Lunch program will not be charged a fee. To qualify for this program, parents must submit proof of income and various other documents required by the federal government.

You will be able to pay bus fees at your school office starting on August 18, 2008 when the offices open for the school year. You can also pay bus fees at the district office throughout the entire month of August. We will sell annual passes good for the entire school year, semi-annual passes, monthly passes, and daily tickets. If your child rides the bus only one-way, to or from school, the fee for a pass will be half the round trip fee.

The fees which have been approved are:

Daily tickets: $1.00 each way

Monthly: $40 average depending on the number of school days in the month.

Semester Pass: $170 ($.94 per ride)

Full Year: $325 ($.90 per ride)

Second child in a family and beyond

Semester Pass: $150 ($.83 per ride)

Full Year: $300 ($.83 per ride)

Charging fees is not something anyone wants to do, but it is the best alternative in these tight budget times. We thank you in advance for your cooperation. If you have any questions about this program, please contact me.

Sincerely,

Greg Ryan

Mrs. Brit Montalbano has been a teacher in the Alpine Union School District for 22 years. She is willing to do whatever it takes to help a student succeed and is prepared to step out of her comfort zone to try new instructional practices. Mrs. Montalbano volunteers to serve on district committees and inservices staff. Because Creekside shares students during “Pathway to “Success” (Excel Reading) her student focus for success goes beyond her classroom to include students she shares with other teachers. Mrs. Montalbano participates in weekly collaboration meetings with Creekside teachers which includes discussing student progress, sharing instructional strategies and materials and planning lessons. Mrs. Montalbano has a “Whatever it takes!” attitude and is willing to go above and beyond to be the best teacher she can be. Mrs. Montalbano’s patience, positive attitude and dedication to her students are evident. Her fun loving nature and great sense of humor causes people to gravitate to her: parents, students and staff love her!

Mrs. Maria Nungaray does an exemplary job working with students, teachers and administrators in our English language Development program. Her positive relationship with staff is evident through her making herself available to translate district forms, newsletters, and provide translation for parent conferences and district English Learner meetings. Mrs. Nungaray works with English Learner students during “Pathway to Success” and provides them additional support during Tier II reading. Regardless of how busy she is, her attitude and willingness to help has been accommodating and enthusiastic. She has an upbeat personality and is respected and well liked by all.

Dr. Seuss Day

"Think left and think right and

think low and think high.

Oh, the thinks you can think of

if only you try!"

- Ted Geisel (Dr. Seuss)

from the book, "Oh The Thinks You Can Think!"