Blossom Hill Vision Statement – (Abilities and skills we expect our students to acquire and take-out into the world) All students will have the necessary skills to become enthusiastic, life-long learners and productive, empathetic, respectful members of society.

Blossom Hill Mission Statement – (What we need to do as a school community to ensure this happens) The Blossom Hill School community takes pride in providing an enriched standards-based curriculum in a safe, nurturing environment. We strive to appreciate an awareness of students’ developmental needs to help them progress towards independence.

The Beehive!Issue 37!

Blossom Hill School’s Weekly Newsletter 16400 Blossom Hill Road Los Gatos, California 95032 ©2016 Blossom Hill School May 25, 2016 Page 1

IMPORTANT DATES May

5/25 - 5th Grade Colonial Day 8:30 -11:45 am, Multipurpose Room

5/26 - Home & School Club Member Meeting and Volunteer Luncheon 12:00 - 2:00 pm, Lisa Renner’s House

5/26 - School Site Council Meeting 2:45 pm, Room D23

5/30 - Memorial Day - No School

5/31 - 5th Grade Golfland Field Trip 10:00 am - 2:00 pm, 976 Blossom Hill Rd

June 6/2 - Last Day of School Early Release Schedule Kindergarten: 8:10 - 11:30 am Grades 1-5: 8:10 am - 12:10 pm

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK Dear Blossom Hill Families:

As the year draws to a close, I would like to take the opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to the many dedicated members of our learning community that make our school such a special place.

Thank you to our outstanding Home & School Club! This year, the hard working, high energy, and extremely capable members gave generously of their time and talents whenever and wherever they were needed. Leading the charge for 2015-16 school year was President Lisa Renner. Sincere appreciation goes to Lisa for her heartfelt commitment to our students and staff. Lisa and the H&SC Board members: Maria Gerst, Kelly Duvall, Jennifer Saban, Amy Tanner, Kelly Campbell, and Olga Mavrody leave us with a legacy and responsibility to fulfill their mission of promoting positive school and community relationships that enhance the learning of all students that attend Blossom Hill. In addition, great gratitude goes to Victoria Doll, for her tireless efforts to publish the Home & School Club’s weekly newsletter, the Beehive, each and every week of the school year for the past five years!

Thank you to our School Site Council representatives: Juel Lazovsky, Maria Gerst, Tammy Isaacs, Marico Sayoc, Lisa Renner, Julie Sheehan, Lucia Arredondo, Jenelle Bertucelli, and Linda Lee. Throughout the year, this dedicated and well-informed group worked to develop and implement the Single Plan for Student Achievement, thus guiding our school-wide quest for continuous improvement. Each participant consistently brought valuable perspective and expertise to their governance role and made significant contributions to our school community.

Thank you to each of our families for sending your children to school “ready to learn.” It is through the spirit of partnership that we are able to provide our students an exemplary educational experience.

Thanks also go out to our many dedicated parent volunteers. YOU are a key component of our school’s success. The thousands of hours donated each year in our classrooms and throughout the school are priceless.

Thank you to our wonderful support staff. You consistently demonstrated a high degree of dedication and handled the incredible demands (and interruptions) with kindness, skill, and efficiency. We are indeed fortunate to have such caring people work with our children each day.

Thank you to our multi-talented faculty. You worked tirelessly to provide a positive learning climate full of inspiring, thought-provoking, standards-based instruction. You are among the best teachers in the profession!

A GIGANTIC THANKS goes out to our students for the joy, zest, and enthusiasm you bring to school each day. It is a gift to work with you and share in your life! We wish our beloved fifth graders, as well as those families that are leaving us, the fondest of farewells. You will be missed.

Since this is the last Beehive for the school year, I am sending along my best wishes to all for a safe and fun-filled summer.

Most sincerely, Lisa Reynolds, Principal

The Beehive is written exclusively to inform the Blossom Hill community of school information. Articles, information, calendars, etc. may not be duplicated or reprinted in any manner without the permission of the Home and School Club and of the BHS administration.

THANK YOU, VICTORIA DOLL

We are so lucky to have had the amazing Victoria Doll helping do our Beehive newsletter every single week for 5 years! Pulling the Beehive together has been no small task and Victoria has laid out, edited, and published THIRTY SEVEN of them every year. Her youngest child will be going to Fisher next year so she will be moving on. THANK YOU for giving so willingly of your time and talents for so many years to help us communicate with our parent community. We wish you the best and will miss you greatly!

We are so happy to welcome Lisa Cross as our Beehive editor for next year. She has been working with Victoria on the lay out, editing and publishing of many of the Beehive issues since March. Thank you Lisa for so enthusiastically taking on this important role.

Please note, this is our last issue of the Beehive for the 2015/2016 school year. Wishing you and your families a safe and fun-filled summer!

WEEKLY WISDOM Reminders Memorial Day - There will be no school on Monday, May 30 in celebration of Memorial Day. School resumes on Tuesday, May 31.

Last Day of School - We will be on an early release schedule the last day of school, Thursday, June 2. Early Release Schedule Kindergarten: 8:10 - 11:30 am Grades 1-5: 8:10 am - 12:10 pm

First Day of School - School resumes on Thursday, August 18. Class lists will be posted on Wednesday, August 17 at 5:00 pm.

Important School Contact Information Office:  408-335-2100 Attendance:  408-335-2145 Fax:  408-358-6438 Office Hours:  7:30 am - 3:30 pm jsheehan@lgusd.k12.ca.us

What’s the Buzz?

Together we help our children blossom! 

Page 2

PRESIDENT’S THANK YOU! This has been an INCREDIBLE year for Blossom Hill and the Home & School Club.

Thank you to the amazingly talented women on the H&SC Board: Kelly Campbell, Kelly Duvall, Maria Gerst, Olga Mavrody, Jennifer Saban, and Amy Tanner. These dedicated women gave abundantly of their time, creativity, and phenomenal skills with constant smiles and laughter. It has been great working beside them all year.

Thank you to our extraordinary Principal, Lisa Reynolds, and to Cindy Adams and Julie Sheehan who support her. They are there every day with a smile and tremendous warmth helping the student, parents, and us. Their help and support of our community is immeasurable. To the outstanding staff at Blossom Hill, thank you for supporting our children with so much dedication and enthusiasm. We are so lucky to have each and every one of you as part of our community.

Thank you to the remarkable parents who lead our various Committees. It takes the help and leadership of many to execute the numerous programs we fund. We are so fortunate to have such talented parents willingly take on big roles in support of programs that help provide the whole-child experience at Blossom Hill.

Thank you to ALL of our parent volunteers who have given any amount of time this year. You give time on field trips, in classrooms, on the playground, in the library, in the work room, and in support of our fundraisers – every task, every minute counts and we appreciate it ALL. Our parent community is truly inspirational.

I am delighted to announce that we reached and even slightly surpassed our financial goals this year. We are so grateful for the incredible financial generosity of our community in support of the programs that enrich our children’s education at Blossom Hill. In addition to funding our regular annual programs, the additional funds raised this year have been used to update the sound equipment used for assemblies and other school activities, support the addition of a Math Support Specialist at Blossom Hill for the 2016/2017 school year, and fund other key items that continue to make Blossom Hill a special and safe place for our children.

To EVERYONE that contributed to making this such a wonderful year, THANK YOU! My heart is overflowing with gratitude and appreciation. I wish you and your families an amazing summer!

Warmly, Lisa Renner

5TH GRADE GOLFLAND Tuesday, May 31

10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Place: Golfland (976 Blossom Hill Rd, San Jose) Bring: Swimsuit (under clothes), towel, sunscreen and own bottle of water Included: Admission, pizza, soft drinks, snacks and dessert Transportation: Parent drivers coordinated by teachers Chaperones: Lots of parent volunteer opportunities – drivers can stay and chaperone! Sign Up Genius Link: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e094daaa92eabf94-golfland

2015/2016 YEARBOOKS The 2015/2016 yearbooks are here!

If you pre-ordered a yearbook through One Check, your child will receive it in class today, Wednesday, May 25. If you ordered more than one copy of the yearbook, your oldest child will be given ALL copies purchased. Please be sure to check your child’s backpack to ensure you receive your book(s). 

If you haven’t purchased a yearbook yet, you can buy one after school on Wednesday, May 25 and Thursday, May 26 for $20 at the tables in front of the school and at the Cherry Blossom gate. Yearbooks will also be available for purchase after those dates in the front office. Please contact yearbook@blossomhill.org with any questions.

THANK YOU FROM SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL! Safe Routes to School would like to thank the following families for helping make the program a huge success this year: Bottoms, Campbell, Fin, Grattan-Moloney, Greenland, Grespan, Hart, Long, McCloskey, Moore, Quach, Shore-Madsen, Vrijen, Willey and Yannoni. From Honeybee Barcode scanning on Monday mornings to chalking up the sidewalks around school this past fall and spring, your enthusiasm for this program did not go unnoticed!

Safe Routes to School wishes all of you a fun and safe summer!

What’s the Buzz?Page 3

2016-2017 H&SC Committee Chair Openings We Can’t Do It Without Your Help!

H&SC cannot execute all the events, programs, and services that the Blossom Hill Home and School Club supports each year without your help. The H&SC Board is actively seeking volunteers to fill numerous Committee Chair positions for the 2016-2017 school year. Take a peek and see where you can help next year!

Executive Board Positions • President Elect – This role can be filled by one or two people. Find a friend and be the Home and School Club’s next dynamic duo!

Committee Chair Positions • Family Movie Night • Honeybee Choir Co-Chair • Parent Education Representative • Community Sponsorship

Need additional information? Email president@blossomhill.org.

FINAL H&SC MEETING OF THE YEAR & VOLUNTEER LUNCHEON Thursday, May 26, 12:00 - 2:00 pm

Lisa Renner’s Home

Board Candidate Vote & 2016-2017 Preliminary Budget Approval

Let’s celebrate a wonderful year! Please join us for our annual Home & School Club Volunteer Luncheon, followed immediately by our final (and very brief) meeting. This is a nice time to gather with friends and recognize the volunteers who have contributes so much to our organization this year.

Surnames A-L: Please bring a dessert or fruit Surnames M-Z: Please bring a salad or an appetizer

All are welcome! Please RSVP to president@blossomhill.org if you plan to attend.

The business portion of our meeting will be brief, but important. We will vote on our preliminary 2016-2017 budget and on our 2016-2017 H&SC Board of Directors slate of candidates. If you cannot attend the meeting, Proxy Vote forms will be available in the office. Please submit all Proxy Votes to the box in the office prior to the meeting. The 2016-2017 slate of candidates is as follows:

All Board members are expected to attend all Board and Member meetings.

President: Kelly Campbell (Position not up for vote)

President-Elect Candidate: Open 5-10 hours per week Assist President, learn position of President School Site Council Representative LGUSD Resource Council Representative Act as President in absence of President

Vice President Candidate: Jen Saban 3-5 hours per week Oversee all Spirit and Community-building events and programs Act as Room Parent coordinator

Treasurer Candidate: Olga Mavrody 10-15 hours per week (fluctuates) Handle cash deposits and disbursements Prepare monthly financial statements Annual budget, tax return, and other compliance requirements

Assistant Treasurer Candidate: Maria Gerst 5-10 hours per week (fluctuates) Handle treasury responsibility for fundraisers Ensure proper cash handling for fundraisers Assist fundraiser committees with budget Assist Treasurer with any other responsibilities as necessary Consider moving into Treasurer role over time

Secretary Candidate: Amy Tanner 3 to 5 hours per week Take minutes at all Board and Member meetings Coordinate Board communications

Parliamentarian: Lisa Renner (Position not up for vote)

Together we help our children blossom! 

BE AN ART DOCENT! Do you have a passion for art? Come join the Art Docents at our open house in the fall to learn more about the organization and ways to get involved. No art experience required - we’ll train you!

If you’re interested in learning more, visit our website and fill out the contact form.

BIRTHDAY BUZZ This week, please join the Home and School Club in wishing five phenomenal staff with summer birthdays an early and very warm Happy Birthday!

Eduardo Capristo – June 13 Carol Witter – June 14

Wendy Ottinger – June 16 Stacey Petty – June 24

Lacy Milos – July 12

Wishing all of you joy and happiness on your birthday and all the coming year! Enjoy the summer.

DID YOU KNOW? Many companies offer employee matching programs for financial donations. But did you know that some companies also make matching donations in exchange for volunteer time? These programs are called Volunteer Grants. If you work for a company that offers this benefit, (Cisco is one of them), it’s an easy way to generate a bit of extra funding for Blossom Hill that simply requires your time, not your checkbook.

Does your company offer a Volunteer Grant as part of their HR package? You can find out by clicking here and searching for your company name. Look down the list of benefits and see if Volunteer Grant is listed. If so, we encourage you to participate in continued support of your child and Blossom Hill!

CALLING ALL 3RD, 4TH, AND 5TH GRADE CHORUS KIDS

The Blossom Hill School Chorus program will be back this fall! The Chorus application will be available online on Friday, August 19 at 12:00 pm and can be accessed through the Blossom Hill Home & School Club homepage. We will keep the registration site open until Chorus is full; once full, the registration site will close.  Please note that Chorus reached its registration limit in the first 90 minutes last year, so make sure to log on early to get a spot.

Thank you H&SC, parents, and staff for your support of this program. We are looking forward to another fantastic show!

~Lacy Milos and Parent Producers

IN THE CLASSROOM Little Buddy Project Supports the Whole Child

This year, Ms. Ottinger’s fifth grade class wrote personalized stories for their first grade little buddies. The idea came from a former Blossom Hill student, Alex Wong, who is now attending Brown University. Recently, Alex helped start a non-profit organization, Fiction for Kids, to write personalized stories for kids in the hospital. As a pilot for the program, Alex wrote birthday stories for Ms. Ottinger’s class. Early in the school year, Ms. Ottinger’s students filled out a short survey answering questions about their favorite things. Throughout the year, students received personalized stories on their birthday from Fiction for Kids.

In January, Alex visited Ms. Ottinger’s class to share the idea of writing personalized stories for their little buddies. Excited about the idea, the fifth graders interviewed their little buddies (without letting them know why) then wrote, edited and revised the personalized stories. In addition, each student created watercolor illustrations for the story. Using Google Docs and Drawings, and the cutting and mounting help of Lisa Zirl and Kristin Dillehay, each illustration and story was combined to create a miniature book. Ms. Ottinger’s students were excited to present their little buddies with their personalized books the morning of Open House. The first graders were elated and described their personalized story as “Unforgettable!” “Awesome!” and “The best!”

Fiction for Kids has partnered with Alex’s Wish, a fundraiser started in honor of former BH student Alex Solis. This December, children in Bay Area hospitals will receive both a pillow pet and a personalized story. To help Fiction for Kids better understand the possible value of using personalized storybooks to support the cost of their outreach program, they are seeking feedback from parents. If you have the time, please complete their three question survey by clicking here.

What’s the Buzz?Page 4

Together we help our children blossom! 

May 25, 2016

Thank You, Blossom Hill Families! August 2015 - May 2016

Your donations made LGEF programs possible for our students

Anonymous (18), Diana & Edward Abbati, Abdollahi Family, Todd Johnston & Elisa Aldridge, Ardakani Family, Kathy & Mike Bays, Bertsch Family, Jenny & Jason Biller, Randy & Debbie Bluestone, Greg & Robyn Blum, Mark & Yasmin Bomann, Eric and Janelle Boyenga, Bonomi Family, Art & Julia Chan, Desmond & Pamela Chan, Arjun & Neha Chandra, Tom & Marina Chang, Chuang Family, Andrew & Victoria Cohen, Daniel Cohen & Kate Hatton, Roderick & Dena Crawford, Crites Family, Cross Family, Christopher & Melis Curtiss, Dave Parsin & Ali Dacher, Yichen Dai, Qi Dai and Zhouying Chen, Mark & Tiffany Davies, Christen & Szilvia Decoin, Umesh Mallugari & Vidya Devarasetty, Pete & Jodi Distad, Duebelbeis Family, Rick & Diane Dunning, Eric & Dee Dee Dunstan, Duvall Family, Elder Family, Endweiss Family, Enns Family, Mani Farhadi, Fisher Family, Dyer & Fantino, Jeff Onufer & Sabrina Farmer, Feichtmeir Family, Ferguson Family, Parents of Nicholas Fletcher, Flynn Family, Svetlana & Vadim Furman, del Prado Garcia Family, Gibson Family, Gilmour Family, Gold Family, Kobi & Fanny Gur, Hariri Family, Harper Family, Harrell Family, Shannon & Renee Hart, Darryl & Stacey Hein, Hiroshima Family, Hockenbrock Family, Zelidrag & Anita Hornung, Traci & Andrew Horwitz, Christopher & Stephanie Ichien, Sabin & Daniela Ielceanu, Nancy Jackson &�Ash Padwal, Arvin Khosravi

& Firouzeh Jahanshahi, Jhamb Family, Johnson Family,�Karen & Andy Jones, Margaret and Kenneth Jones, Richa Kamal & Anand Kishore, Kris Kamali, Montgomery & Christina Kersten, Ben Cortez & Suejin Kim, Mary Kim & Alan Marks, Krawez Family, Shana Landi & Jeff Landi, Jake & Kelly Langner, Lazovsky Family, Daehee Lee & Kijung Kim Lee, Larry & Jennifer Lenz, Tom Kao, Yujun Wang & Jia Liu, Long Family, Yong Luo, Priti & Neeraj Malhotra, Marcellin Family, Mekler Family, Aileen & Moira MacLeod, Gary & Heather Metz, Milos Family, Moloney Family, Moore Family, Mordaunt Family, Jennifer Moy, Meena Nathan, Nevis Family, Julie O'Brien, Pan Family, Pang Family, Parisi Family, Shane & Catherine Plaxton, Potts Family, Simon & Heather Prakash, Gabriel Radityou and Astrid Suwarna, Aparna & Anand Ramadurai, Raju Subramanian & Chitra Ramaswamy, Mark & Wendi Redo, Renner Family, Patrick & Kari Rich, Jessica Richter, Maryse Rigaud, Wendy Riggs & Nick Tingle, Kari & Shawn Robinson, Barbara & Kevin Rogan, Rombakh Family, Rosenberg Family, Rosingana Family, Umme Salma, Marico Sayoc & Jeffrey Scott, Schaper Family, Seiler Family, Francine Shore & Dan Madsen, Sickels Family, Sim Family, Craig & Angie Smith, Jerry & Bobbie Snyder, Meagan & Chris Stephens, Sullivan Family, Ken Swartz & Dani Salzer, Josh & Laura Stults, Christopher & Ursula Szeles, Takeuchi Family, James & Amy Tanner, Monika & Edward Tau, Melissa & Tracy Thomas, Andrew & Lucia Thompson, Emil & Sarah Tiller, Sal & Paula Tostado, Tony & Janice Tseng, Theresa & Keith Uchida, Venezia Family, Shailaja Venkatsubramanyan & Prasenjit Sarkar, Jim & Brittany Vernale, Yong Feng Chen & Jinhui Wang, John & Carrie Wei, Wentzien Family, Tom & Kristen Willerer, Kathleen Willey, Witsoe Family, William & Victoria Wolfe, Corrine & Taylor Woo, Wood Family, Yanwu Zhang & Ling Yi, Gene F. Yong & Chuen Ying Lee, Edward & Amy Yu, Sophie Yu & Solomon Wang, Noah & Caroline Zamansky, Romy & Annie Zeid, Chang Zhang, John & Francis Zhang, Bei Zhu and Weidong Qian, Zolla Family, Mitch & Xinghua Zollinger.

Special Thanks Major Donors (over $2500)

Andrew and Kate Ferguson, Anita and Zelidrag Hornung, Christina and Montgomery Kersten, Anders Johnson and Jennifer Kretschmer, Chris and Gretchen Moore,

Maria Gerst and Ryan Rosenberg, Angie and Craig

Smith, David and Sonya Wells, Erin and Thomas

Wentzien.

Add your name!

Donate today to give our children:

� Hands-on Science � Music � Art � Counseling

Special “Thank You” Edition

LGEF: Serving Blossom Hill, Daves Avenue, Lexington, Van Meter, and RJ Fisher schools since 1982.

�

Did we miss your name? We’re very sorry! Please let us correct it. Contact us today at admin@lgef.org

What’s the Buzz?Page 5

Together we help our children blossom!