'Tis the Season for Giving

It's that time of year. The chill in the air brings out the carolers and mailboxes full of cards. It is during this time of year that many initiate acts of kindness towards others. The students at Victoria are no exception.

The weeks between Thanksgiving and winter breaks students joined the A.O.K. Club (Acts of Kindness) by contributing to our Annual Coin Harvest. The A.O.K. Club collected approximately $550 that was cashed in for gift cards to Stater Bros. Supermarket and Target Department Stores. These gift cards were distributed amongst six Victoria families.

Victoria School was also the recipient of a very generous donation from the grandparents of one of our students. The school leadership team (made up of staff) will assist me in determining how best to use this donation. We are very fortunate to have such tremendous support from our Victoria Family.

Fa La La La La

I just love this time of year... the sounds of laughter, the smell of homemade goodies, the sight of excited little kids!

Today, Victoria's S.O.A.R. Glee and Drama Clubs performed their programs in front of the student body and will put on an additional show tonight for their parents, family members, and friends.

The Glee Club performed "Crazy Carols" - songs and poetry about school children getting ready for the holidays (above).

The Drama Club performed the show "The Holiday Show" about animals who are learning about various holidays that occur this time of year (see photo below).Thank you to Mrs. Read, Mr. and Mrs. Russell, and Liz Russell (and friends) for offering your time and talents to provide these enriching experiences for the students at Victoria!

Victoria BELIEVES in Reading!

This year the Victoria Elementary School and PTA has joined with the Riverside County Regional Medical Center in participating in the “Festival of Trees...for the love of a child!”

We are excited to join other schools, groups, and companies in donating a decorated tree to this wonderful community event! The Festival of Trees has become a special Inland Empire holiday tradition and is scheduled over five days during the Thanksgiving week - November 24-28 at the Riverside Convention Center. Proceeds from the event enable the Foundation of Riverside County Regional Medical Center to purchase equipment, especially for the units that serve children.

Bring your family to come see our tree at this free community event. You will find Victoria’s tree in the Elves Forest. The theme of our tree is “Victoria School BELIEVES in Reading!” Dr. Seuss's The Grinch Who Stole Christmas is favorite children's book this time of year. Do you see the Grinch trying to steal our tree? Students added handmade ornaments resembling “mini-book” versions of their other favorite stories. This was not only a wonderful opportunity for our students to contribute to the Riverside Community and help others, but also emphasizes that we know reading is important.

The Press Enterprise states:

The festival also will offer live entertainment, crafts and games for children, baked items and crafts for sale, and visits with Santa Claus.

This is a great place to have your picture taken with Santa ... no lines," Vaughan said.

There also will be special events like a story time with Santa from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesday and a scavenger hunt during Family Day on Nov. 27.

"It is a great family event. There is always something to see," said Jeri Vaughan, foundation executive director.

Festival of Trees

What: Tree display and fundraiser for Riverside County Regional Medical Center children's units

When: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 24, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Nov. 26, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Nov. 27, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 28

Where: Riverside Convention Center, 3443 Orange St., Riverside

Admission: Free

Information: 951-486-5520 or rcrmcfoundation.org

Victoria Honors RPD Officers

Last week students were off school in honor of Veterans' Day. We explained to students that Veterans' Day is not just a holiday when we don't have school, but is rather a day when we honor the men and women who have served to protect our country.

Today, students had the opportunity to honor Officer Bonaminio, who was not only a veteran, but also worked to serve our community. The procession of officers escorting the body of slain Riverside Police Officer Ryan Bonaminio passed by our school this morning. Students lined our fence on Arlington Ave. to show their respects to him and to the other men and women who work to keep our city safe. Many students put their hands over their hearts or saluted the officers as they drove past Victoria on their way to the funeral ceremony. Other students held a brightly-colored banner, decorated with handprints and hearts, stating, "Thank you RPD for keeping our city safe."

We hope that Officer Bonaminio's family, friends, and colleagues may find comfort at this time and know that they have tremendous adoration and support from their community - including the children at Victoria School.

It's Halloween Time!

Today was our annual Halloween Parade. Students look forward to this event the whole month of October. It is so much fun to see the kids' customes and feel the excitement of the students in the air.

This year our kindergarteners were able to join the rest of the student body, as they are now attending school for the full day. It was great for them to interact with all of the BIG kids.

We saw some very creative costumes!

And what would a parade be without a band? Thank you to Mr. Calavan and our Advanced Band students for the music!

Following our parade, many classes had a party... with lots of candy, cupcakes, and other treats... and then the school staff played a little trick and sent the students home to their poor parents!

Happy Halloween to all! Have fun and be safe!

HEARTS and SOAR - SESSION 2

GREAT NEWS! Victoria has been funded for the After School HEARTS Program. HEARTS stands for Helping Elementary Achievers Reach the Stars. Its mission is provide a safe and positive learning environment for students after regular school hours. The program consists of daily educational, recreational and enrichment components. HEARTS runs Monday-Friday from the end of the school day until 6:00 p.m. starting on Monday, November 1, 2010 through the end of the school year. Students participating in HEARTS must attend daily. Bright pink applications were sent home last week. Additional applications are available in the office.

We are gearing up to begin our second session of SOAR (Structured Opportunities in Academics and Recreation). SOAR gives students the flexibility of attending selected classes verses attending HEARTS daily. Please note: students participating in HEARTS may also sign up of a SOAR class. They will be released to go to HEARTS at 4:00 p.m. following their SOAR class/club. Session 2 of SOAR will run November 1 - December 15 from 2:15-4:00 p.m.. The following classes/clubs will be offered this session:

• After School Intervention (continued from session 1): Mondays & Wednesdays (grades 2-6)
• Study Skills: Wednesdays (grades 4-6)
• Science Club: Mondays (grades 3-5)
• Glee Club: Tuesdays (grade 2-6)
• 6th Grade Math Tutoring: Monday & Wednesdays (grade 6)
• Victoria Road Runners: Tuesdays (grades 2-6)
• Drama Club: Mondays & Wednesdays (grades 2-6)
• Victoria Green Team: Tuesdays (grades 3-6)
• Cub Scouts: Mondays (boys in grades 1-5)

Again, students who attend HEARTS may also sign up for SOAR.

If you have any questions, send me an email at lanelson@rusd.k12.ca.us or call the office at 951-788-7441.

SOARing Students' Quilting Club

Fifteen students participated in the "Kids' Quilting Club" during our first session of SOAR (Structured Opportunities for Academics and Recreation). Students worked with Mrs. Read and volunteers from the Riverside Quilting Guild to learn about blocking layout, precise measurements, seam allowances, fabric pressing, basic stitching and piecing, and hand applique.

Our Kids' Quiling Club will present their quilts on Tuesday Night, October 26th to the Riverside Quilting Guild. Their quilts will then be donated to local hospitals.

If you have an talent or hobby that you would like to share with students at Victoria during our after school SOAR Program, please contact me at (951)788-7441 or via email at lanelson@rusd.k12.ca.us.

Victoria Students Dare to S.O.A.R.

The Victoria Staff knows that it is important for students to participate in structured activities outside of the regular school day. Therefore, this year we have created our own after school program for our students, titled “S.O.A.R.” (Structured Opportunities for Academics and Recreation)

Not only does our SOAR Program provide structured activities, but it also helps to foster a stronger connection between students and the school. SOAR is currently offered 3 days a week (Monday – Wednesday) until 4:00 pm. Busing is available to students who qualify. Students apply for or are invited to attend any or all days.

Mondays and Wednesdays are devoted to “Academics”. Tuesdays are the “Recreation” days. With enough student interest and volunteers to help us, we would like to extend our program to 4 days a week (adding Fridays).

We’ve divided the school year into five 6-week sessions. Session 1 began on September 20^th and end on October 27^th. Victoria staff and community volunteers have joined together to offer the following opportunities during this session: English Language Arts Intervention, Math Intervention, Science Club, Creative Writing – Poetry, Book Club (reading Eragon by Christopher Paolini), Cub Scouts, Kids’ Quilting Club (will make quilts and donate them to local hospitals), Green Team (gardening and recycling), Eagles’ Glee Club (choir), and Victoria Road Runners (physical exercise/conditioning for the upcoming Mission Inn 5K). We have almost 150 students participating in one or more activity!

Our next SOAR session will begin November 1 and will go for another 6 weeks, ending on December 16^th.

We are looking for enthusiastic people to contribute to our SOAR Program. Do you have an interest or hobby that you’d like to share with Victoria’s students? Do you know of any parents, friends, family, or community members that would be interested in helping us (time, talent, or materials)?

If you said yes to any of the above questions, please contact me via email lanelson@rusd.k12.ca.us or by phone 951-788-7441.

(Please note: All volunteers must get TB and fingerprint clearance.)

Welcome New Kindergarten Students

This year, for the first time, Victoria has full day Kindergarten!

To help our incoming kinders to transition to kindergarten ... and a long day at school... we offered a Summer Kinder Academy! Our academy was held the week of August 9th - 13th for two hours a day. Students practiced various school procedures (i.e. walking in line, playground rules, sitting on the carpet, etc.), teachers were able to complete pre-assessments/ observations of participating students, and students were reassured that their parents would come pick them up after school and they would not be stuck at school forever. While our new kinders completed activities in class, parents of each incoming student participated in the “Parent School/Home Connection” component of the academy. These informative workshops were designed to build parents' knowledge to support their kindergartener’s academic success. Workshops included:

• Building Your Kindergartner's Social and Language Skills
• Understanding the RUSD Kindergarten Standards in Language Arts
• Understanding the RUSD Kindergarten Standards in Mathematics
• Unlocking the California English Language Development Test (CELDT)
• English as a Second Language-Improving Your English to Support Your Child
• RUSD-Opportunities for Parent Involvement

A thank you to the students, parents, teachers, and presenters that made our first Kinder Academy a huge success.

Victoria Families Come Back-to-School

Tonight was our annual Back-to-School Night. Despite the 100+ degree weather outside, we had a great night!

Again this year we began the night with a family BBQ/Picnic. Our fabulous PTA slaved over the hot grill and cooked up hamburgers for us. However, rather than eating outside in real picnic fashion, we moved indoors and enjoyed our food in the comfort of the air conditioned cafeteria!

We also had several booths set up inside the cafeteria. The PTA recruited new members and sold Victoria Spiritwear. There was also information describing opportunities for parent involvement, i.e. School Site Council, English Learner Advisory Committee, and Parent Wednesday Workshops. We advertised our after school program that we will start in September and asked parents if they'd like to volunteer to share their talents and hobbies with our kids. (I'll blog more on our After School S.O.A.R. Program in a new post!) RUSD Nutritional Services was there to assist families in completing lunch applications and offered samples from our "Farm Fresh Salad Bar". The YMCA also shared information about their program that meets across the street at the church.

Teachers prepared wonderful presentations to share with families about their classrooms and the grade level standards that they will teach their students this year. They repeated their presentation for families who had more than one classroom to visit tonight.

As many families left to go home, they stopped by the 6th Grade Outdoor Ed. Bake Sale for a sweet treat.

Thank you to all of the teachers for their hard work and dedication to make Victoria an outstanding school. Thank you to all the parents/grandparents/guardians for your continued support. This is going to be another extraordinary school year!

Eagle Scout "Elf" Visits Victoria

I remember a fairytale story from my childhood with the title The Elves and the Shoemaker. As you may recall from this story, while the shoemaker was fast asleep in bed at night, little elves visited his shop and sewed beautiful shoes and slippers for him. When the shoemaker awoke the next morning, he was surprised and pleased at this nice surprise!

Well, Victoria had a similar experience this weekend. While all of the teachers and students were away for the weekend, Victoria was visited by some "elves" who completed a surprise for us! Andrew Pettit, a former Victoria student (class of 2009), completed his Eagle Scout project at Victoria. Andrew has spent the last year planning and raising money to fund his project – reading benches for us!

With cement, screwdrivers, and shovels in hand, Andrew and his crew of "elves" met here early Saturday morning to begin working their magic! Together they assembled, mounted, and cemented in six sturdy benches – two each under the shady trees in front of rooms 3, 7, and 9.

Students for many years to come will be able to enjoy sitting on these benches while reading in the shade or working outside the classroom while still being under the watchful supervision of their teachers. A huge THANK YOU to Andrew for selecting Victoria to be the recipient of his Eagle Scout Project and to his family and crew of "elves" who helped him!

Congratulation to our Employees of the Year

Mr. Arturo Juario, Jr. - 6th Grade Teacher

It is with great pleasure that I announce Mr. Arturo Juario as Victoria’s Teacher-of-the-Year for 2009-2010. As part of the Professional Learning Community at Victoria School, Mr. Juario meets with his team during grade level meetings to plan lessons and interventions that target the needs of each student in our sixth grade. He is valued by his colleagues, his students, and their parents.

Mr. Juario is a skilled, professional teacher. He quickly gains the confidence of the parents and students by making it a point to get to know each of them. They view him as a valuable resource and solid educator. He is an outstanding math teacher – often yielding some of the highest scores in the district. In his classroom, he brings his experience and intuition about children together by focusing on each child. Core curriculum is enriched with activities such as the Probability Carnival, the PI Scavenger Hunt, the Dragon Parade, mummifying Cornish game hens, etc. In a very natural and caring fashion, he sets about finding the natural balance of reassurance and challenge each of them need … and they respond. He doesn’t give up nor does he let the students give up on their quest for academic success. For years, he has voluntarily tutored struggling students in math twice a week before school (7-7:30 am). Students leave his classroom well-prepared to meet the challenges and rigor of middle school.

Besides his ability to supply high quality meaningful instruction to students, Mr. Juario’s expertise has allowed us to rely on him in a variety of ways. He is often the “go-to” person for questions relating to math, science, and technology. Art has taken on the challenge of publishing the school’s yearbook the past seven year; it is second to none!

Mr. Juario spends numerous hours working with students and parents in extra activities. He works tirelessly with our Outdoor Ed. Booster Club to raise money for our annual sixth grade science camp, attends all the monthly meetings, and supervises car washes, spaghetti dinners, pancake breakfasts, etc.

Mr. Juario devotes extra effort to working directly with the parents of the students he serves. He effectively communicates with parents and helps them understand how to best help their children within the context of the school environment and at home. He has invited parents into his room and takes the time to explain each child’s varying needs and the strategies that will best assist him/her. His knowledge and expertise have been invaluable in supporting his students and their parents.

Mrs. Jeri Read - Library Media Assistant

The staff at Victoria School has selected Mrs. Read as our Classified Employee-of-the-Year for 2010. Comments from the staff include the following:

“Mrs. Read helped to orchestrate our Target Library Makeover last fall. Rather than taking the easy route and closing down the library during the renovation, Mrs. Read communicated the importance of reading to our students by setting up a ‘mobile library’ so students could continue to check out books every week. Mrs. Read worked alongside the volunteers to make the transition from the old library to the new library as seamless as possible.”

“Mrs. Read goes above and beyond her duties as library media assistant to instill in students a love of learning and a passion for reading. As part of the Victoria staff, Mrs. Read assumes responsibility in increasing student achievement by working with students before and after school. She oversees our AR program – inventing fun incentives. In addition to the library, she oversees the computer lab. Mrs. Read is one of our go-to people for questions regarding technology. We love Mrs. Read!”

“Mrs. Read is amazing! She is a kind, personable, efficient staff member. She shows caring for not only the students, but parents and staff. Students love to come to the library to read with Mrs. Read.”

“Recognizing the overwhelming tasks of the teachers, Mrs. Read has volunteered to input all assessment data in to DataDirector for all grade levels. Thank you Mrs. Read.”

“Mrs. Read always has a cheerful attitude! She is well-organized in her work and great with students. She is seen around campus spreading cheer and enthusiasm for being at school to learn.”

“Mrs. Read is a very kind person who always wears a smile regardless of what is going on around her (bad day, busy day, etc.) She is helpful to the staff, parents, and students.”

Victoria Loves Our Volunteers

On Tuesday, May 25th we held our annual Volunteer Tea. Staff spruced up the Multi-purpose room with tablecothes and freshly-cut roses from our gardens displayed in china tea cups to create an atmosphere appropriate for such a special event. Staff also prepared fancy "tea-party" refreshments to accompany iced-tea and lemonade.

This year, we recognized a total of sixty-six volunteers who gave of their time to help make our school a better place. These volunteers have been seen throughout the school year helping in the classrooms, assisting students in the library or computer lab, chaparoning field trips, making copies, reading with students, organizing activities, working out (exercising/playing) with students before school and at recess (RoadRunners), and in manyother ways.

Mrs. Tammy Schipske (pictured in below, sitting on the right) was selected as Victoria's Volunteer of the Year. This is what one teacher said about Mrs. Schipske:

Tammy Schipske is an awesome volunteer who goes above and beyond the call of duty. She is seen working around Victoria 24/7 (or at least 7.5/5) doing everything and anything needed by any student or any staff members. Her volunteer 'duties' are endless - helping in classrooms and the library, actively participating in P.T.A., laminating for teachers, and doing whatever else is needed. She helps in every way possible and always with a big smile on her face.

We LOVE you Victoria Volunteers! Thank you all for helping us have another successful school year!

Reading is Healthy for Kids

Yesterday, we had the pleasure of having the Kaiser Permanente Educational Theatre Group come back to Victoria yesterday. This time a cast of actors performed the play "Jay and E and the Zig Zag Sea." Kaiser believes that reading helps keep kids healthy, so they are reaching out to students in grades K-2 with this message with this assembly.

Victoria K-2 students listened and watched attentively as Jay, her dog Libro, Bookie Book, and Ignoramus- the pirate took a journey from the local library to the Island of Palabras and back. On this journey they have fun with letters and words while learning the importance of reading.

Students enjoyed this program complete with puppets and music. The laughter of children was heard throughout this program. Thank you Kaiser for bringing this program and its message to our school!

Sixth Grade Science Camp

I just returned from spending the past several days at Pathfinder Ranch with our sixth graders. What an awesome opportunity for these kids! They are having a wonderful experience and building great memories... but boy are they tired come bedtime!

Everyday students rise and shine at about 6:00 am, eat a wonderful breakfast and then attend 2 classes before lunch and two classes after lunch. Classes included: water ecology, forest ecology, geology, ethnobotany, archeology, herbetology, rock climbing, horseback riding, team challenges, archery, canoeing and fresh water ecology. After dinner and a short free time, the groups come together for an evening event, such as: Night Hike, Mad Science Fair, Lorax and Town Meeting, and Campfire.

This morning, the group took a three-hour hike. Here they are in this picture... can you find them? They are on the very top!!!

This afternoon students got to choose an elective. Many of our courageous kids chose the high ropes course which included a zipline and rock wall. They proved to themselves that they can accomplish amazing feats!

I don't think I'd ever be brave enough for this! How about you?

Stop, Feel, Think, Choose, Act

Kaiser Permanente's Educational Theater Programs performed "Drummin' Up Peace" for Victoria's third-fifth grade students on Monday. Their play was about four students who received detention for a food fight in the cafeteria. Sadly, this food fight started because a student accidentally tripped another student. While the students were in detention,their principal, Mr. Whistle, assigned the group a project. They were to create a way that they could present the five conflict resolution steps of "Stop, Feel, Think, Choose, Act" to the other students at the school. Although these four students had very different personalities, they were able to build on each other's strengths to create a rap about their assigned topic... and in the meantime, they became good friends.

Tuesday and Wednesday each class participated in a one-hour follow-up activity with the actors. They continued to discuss "Stop, Feel, Think, Act, and Choose." Student groups worked together to write a rap about resolving conflicts. They then stood around a special microphone and recorded their raps on a CD that will be given to their teacher. All students were also given a dog tag necklace with the Drummin' Up Peace logo and the five conflict resolution steps.

On Thursday evening, May 13th, the actors returned for a family night at Victoria. All students and parents were invited to attend. The theater group shared parts of their play, as well as played Victoria's Rap CD. At the conclusion of the evening, students were invited to participate in a drum circle. Parents joined along in the chorus singing, "We stop and think. Go zoom, zoom, zoom. Spreading peace like boom, boom, boom." Students received a "Drummin' Up Peace" gel bracelet for participating.

Thank you to Kaiser for this wonderful education opportunity for our Victoria students!

Drummin' Up Peace

Next week, Victoria students in grades 3-5 will have a wonderful treat - the "Drummin' Up Peace" program offered through the Kaiser Permanente Educational Theatre Program.

Drummin' Up Peace is geared especially towards students in grades 3-5 and teaches them the five steps to resolving conflict: Stop, Feel, Think, Choose, and Act. Students will learn empathy, cooperation, and communication.

Students in grades 3-5 will attend a special assembly Monday afternoon (5-10-10), where through the power of drama, comedy, audience interaction, music and drumming students learn ways to "increase the peace". The play is followed by workshops on Tuesday and Wednesday in which the students talk about how they work out conflicts. Then they will create raps about what they've learned. The raps will be be recorded and each class will receive a copy of the CD.

Mark your calendars now to attend the Family Night on Thursday (5-13-10) at 6:00 pm. This night will include actors performing part of the play and leading a drum circle, and the students showing their parents what they've learned.

For more information visit: http://xnet.kp.org/etp/scal/drum.html

Victoria PTA Honors Victoria Staff

Victoria has the world's greatest P.T.A. Every year (at least since I've been at Victoria- 4yrs), the P.T.A. pampers all staff members for the entire week of Teacher Appreciation. This week is the annual, big event!

With Mrs. Racobs as the committee chairperson, our week began with a wonderful breakfast -complete with bagels, croissants, fresh fruit, and beverages. Tuesday, the P.T.A. washed the cars of staff members. (Yes! You read that correctly!) Wednesday, began with the delivery of beautiful flowers to each staff. Students brought in flowers from their gardens or local flower shop. They were divided up and arranged in vases by the P.T.A. Our pampering continued through lunch with a "Cinco de Mayo" celebration/fiesta. Tomorrow , Thursday, is promised to be a "surprise!" Our week-long pampering will conclude on Friday with a BBQ lunch prepared and grilled by our wonderful P.T.A.

Thank you to all of our P.T.A. members and students for your efforts to show us your love and support. We love you, too!