Starr King Elementary School

Dear parents,
 
It has been a terrific week getting to know you and your children. I feel honored to keep up the good work that Laticia has been able to put in place with great help from you and our staff. I am also open to new ideas and I’m happy to address your needs and concerns. Remember: Parent Liaisons are here for you and your children, so please do stop by my desk in the main office so we can get to know each other.  
 
Greg, in addition, please announce prominently that the food pantry will be up and running as of next week. Our kick off will be on Tuesday and I am requesting that Frances, our nutritionist, provide samples of something seasonal which can be made mostly with food provided by the food bank.
 
To ensure that we don’t repeat the chaos of today’s parent meeting in Bungalow B, let’s be sure we have enough people to guide the process and keep order: Christina’s ID’d some crucial veteran parents who I will contact tomorrow, but I’m hoping you can ask some staff to help too. Do you know who among the staff has been involved in the past?
 
Please let me know if you have any thoughts about this. Thank you,
 
Claudia

Playworks will be repainting the lines on our playground this Friday. End of day student pick up procedures will be the same as always with the wet-paint areas clearly marked by cones.  Thanks for your flexibility as we make way for this improvement and thanks to Playworks for organizing it.

Greetings Starr King families, on behalf of the PTA, I wanted to extend a warm welcome to our new and existing friends!  I hope you had an exciting and fun filled summer! My name is Pierre Barolette and I have the honor of serving as the president of the PTA this school year.  I am the proud father of Hayden (2nd grade) and Ethan Barolette (kindergartner).

The PTA has many priorities this school year, a few worth noting are supporting the classroom teachers, building our school community, and improving communications.

There are a number of ways you can support our classroom teachers – becoming room parents, participating in adopt-a-class, bringing supplies for the Back To School Supplies Drive, and many other programs the PTA will be sponsoring this year.  I hope you will join us in this important tasks.

We will be building our school community through fun school-wide events like the September car wash, parent socials, and one of my favorites, Books for Dinner. We look forward to welcoming you at one of our exciting events!

You are invited to our monthly PTA meetings, they are the first Wednesday of every month at 5:30pm, in our school cafeteria. Childcare and dinner for the kids is provided.  I look forward to seeing many of you there!

Pierre Barolette

We will have a playground assembly on Monday, August 23, to announce birthdays, talk about the three big rules, practice a couple of chants, and kick off the new week. Parents are welcome to join us for this weekly activity.

The Playworks Program will be coming to Starr King School on Monday, August 23rd.

Friday, August 27th, from 1:30PM to 6:00PM, the playground will be closed so that the lines can be repainted through a corporate-school partnership made possible through Playworks.

What follows is a set of frequently asked questions that may help you know more about the PlayWorks program and why it’s a great deal for our students. THANKS to the PTA and the School Site Council for making the resources possible for this program!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The mission of Playworks is to improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play. Playworks currently operates its on-site program in 170 low-income schools in 10 cities across the United States. The organization will expand to serve schools in 16 cities by the 2010-11 school year, and to serve 27 cities by 2013. This FAQ is designed primarily for principals, teachers, parents and others who are affiliated with schools and would like to know more about how Playworks works within the school environment.

How many staff are assigned to a school?

One full-time, caring and consistent Playworks program coordinator implements the entire program. They work Monday through Friday, usually 9:00–5:00, depending on the school bell schedule. (For Starr King, our schedule will be 8:00AM to 4PM to allow for the expansion of our before-school offerings). Through a selective hiring process, intensive and thoughtful training, and an ongoing support process, our staff is provided with a comprehensive set of tools and resources to help them run successful programs.

Who are your staff members? What are their qualifications?

Energetic, fun, and consistent are three words that capture a Playworks program coordinator, or “coach” as they are known to students. A common thread among our staff is a commitment and passion to support the health and well-being of children. All program coordinators come to Playworks with prior experience working with children and generally have worked within afterschool programs, youth leagues and summer camps, or within other youth service agencies in the non-profit sector.

Do we still need to provide supervision at recess periods?

Yes. The role of the program coordinator on the playground is to create structured, safe opportunities for play. They will not be a substitute for a “yard supervisor.”

Does your staff teach PE classes?

No. Our program coordinators are not PE teachers and are not required to have a teaching credential. Playworks does offer 30-45 minute structured physical activity classes. During these “class game times” students and teachers are able to learn and practice the games and physical activities that will be provided during recess periods. The degree to which this physical activity times meet or support California Fitness Standards is determined by the teacher.

How would you work with our existing before and after-school program?

The Playworks after school program model works with the same 20-25 students for the entire school year with the goal of developing a strong, on-going relationship with students and their families. We have found that our format often complements larger after school collaborative programs by working with those students who would benefit from being a part of a smaller community were they will receive greater attention during the after school hours.

Do you work with Kindergarten?

Yes. We work with all grade levels through our recess and class game time components.

Do you work with middle schools or K-8 schools?

We work solely with elementary and k-8 schools in our expansion cities.

Do you provide part-time staff?

No. One of the essential aspects to our program’s success is that our staff becomes a part of the larger school community. By having a consistent presence during the in-school and after school hours, our program coordinators build strong relationships with students, families, and staff, throughout the school year.

Who is responsible for supervising the Playworks staff person?

Playworks provides each school site with an area director, whose role is to supervise and support a group of 8-12 program coordinators. Area directors are responsible for overseeing and maintaining program quality at each school site and serve as the primary contact person for school administrators.

How much does it cost?

The total cost for your school to have the program is $25,000. This covers a full-time program coordinator for the entire school year. We also ask schools to provide a basic set of playground equipment (balls, cones, jump ropes, etc) that usually cost no more than $500 and can be supplemented by existing equipment at the school site.

http://www.playworks.org/make-recess-count/play/playworks-san-francisco

Spring Fling Program GuideNext Sunday, May 23, from 2-5pm we will hold the first ever Starr King Spring Fling.

This fun event will have lots of food, childcare and activities for the kids at the event, and a Silent Auction.

To whet your appetites for the great items that will be available at the Silent Auction, please download the Spring Fling Auction Preview here.

Remember that all proceeds go to Starr King Elementary – even if it is purchasing services at face value, these businesses have donated their goods and services to Starr King so when you purchase these items the money supports the school.

We have rounded up many exciting and wonderful items including:

Disneyland tix! (plus Great America, Gilroy Gardens, Giants, SF Symphony, & Opera)
-Museums: Exploratorium, Asian Art, DeYoung, Legion of Honor, Academy
of Sciences, BADM, more!
-Restaurant gift certificates: Pacific Catch, Grandeho, Goat Hill Pizza, and more
-Services: massage, acupuncture, chiropractic, hair and nails
-Kid stuff: camps, classes, Recess, My Gym, kid bike and scooters!
-Travel: Tahoe cabin 4-nite stay, Deluxe Colorado family ski vacation
-bargains: kid (and adult) jewelry

What: Starr King Spring Fling
When: Sunday, May 23rd, from 2pm to 5pm (auction closes at 3:45,
raffle pix about 4:30)
Where: NABE — the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House (953 DeHaro St 94107)
For more information and periodic updates see the Spring Fling page or download a Spring Fling Flyer (Spring Fling Flyer Spanish) to distribute to friends and family. Also available is a post-card sized as seen in the Potrero View.

Spring Fling Flyer Spanish

We are working on a brand new event – the Starr King Spring Fling. Part community celebration, part fundraiser and sure to be lots of fun!

Please Help by:

Selling Raffle Tickets
- suggested donation: $3/ticket or 4 tickets for $10
Special prizes for the classrooms selling the most tickets!
contact Carmen Cordovez (carmen_cordovez at yahoo.com) or Joanne Lee (jleeccdc at hotmail.com) for ticket booklets

Soliciting donation items for the Silent Auction  and prizes for the Raffle

Volunteering to help organize the event. Contact Iolande Bloxsom (fling at bloxsom.org) or Joanne Lee (jleeccdc at hotmail.com) if you are interested in getting involved.
For more information and periodic updates see the Spring Fling page or download a Spring Fling Flyer (Spring Fling Flyer Spanish) to distribute to friends and family. Also available is a post-card sized as seen in the Potrero View.