School News & Events
Family Dance Night This Saturday
Our annual Family Dance Night is scheduled for this Saturday, January 28th at the Eureka Elks Lodge from 5:30-8:30 pm. Dinner will be Spaghetti, salad, garlic bread and dessert. The price is 10 per family of four, addtl adults $3.00, children $1.50. The music for the dance will be provided by our guest celebrity DJ Pete Myer. Family pictures can be taken. Remember that all proceeds will go to school PTO for the coming year.
Shark Tales
Shark Tales is our parent newsletter intended to keep you up to date with what is happening at South Bay School and district written by y Paul Meyers, Superintendent/Principal. Click here to download Shark Tales as a pdf to view or print on your computer or other mobile device.
Welcome!
Welcome to South Bay School. The staff and I are glad you have selected South Bay School for your student’s education. We are proud to provide your student a safe and nurturing environment and a world-class education using state-of-the-art technology. We are family-friendly, and welcome your participation in your child’s education. We also strive to be accommodating, and we encourage suggestions from parents/guardians on how we can improve our service to you and your student. Please email your comments to me at pmeyers@humboldt.k12.ca.us.
District Enrollment Increases 20%
The new school year is off to a good start. Student enrollment is up 20% in the district with over 500 students attending Pine Hill and South Bay Schools. With our new reconfiguration this year, it is very comforting that all our hard work preparing for the start of this year paid off. Not only have we retained our current students, we gained 110 new students to our district. The opening of the new South Bay Charter School has brought in 67 students - 16 eighth graders and 51 seventh graders. Another 43 students entered in grades K-6. In kindergarten, enrollment increased 25% and a fourth kindergarten teacher was added a few days before school started.
Academic Performance Index (API) Increases to 731
The API score for South Bay School improved by 65 points, an amazing increase of 9.0%! The API is based entirely on student performance on the annual state STAR testing. A point gain of 65 points is the largest of any school in Humboldt County (with more than 20 students in it). This is a huge improvement and the result of the improved educational environment at South Bay School. Kudos to all the students, staff, and parents whose hard work made this tremendous growth possible.
Cell Phone Policy
Although not encouraged, students are allowed to have a cell phone at school. The rule is that the cell phone must remain “off” and in their pocket or backpack. Cell phones are not to be used during school time and this includes the EXPLORE after school program. Parents, please refrain from contacting your student at school using their cell phone. If you need to reach your child, please use the school phone at 443-4828. If your child needs to contact you, he or she may talk with their teacher or come to the office and speak with Ms. Hanne about using the office phone.
Budget Woes
Due to the dismal state budget and the deferral of school funds, South Bay Union School District has a very tight budget. Schools have less money to make improvements and, consequently, several projects have been postponed. For example, the new playground at South Bay School has been put off until next year, pending next year’s state budget.
Site Council Members Needed
With the new reconfiguration of schools, we need parents/guardians to apply for a position on the School Site Council. Site Council is an oversight committee made up of equal numbers of school representatives and community representatives. We need several parents or community volunteers to serve on this important committee. The site council meets about six times a year, usually 3:15pm for about an hour. Topics include school funding, curriculum, policies and procedures, and school safety. Please contact Hanne Heilmann at 443-4828 or Paul Meyers at 476-8549 for more information.
Get Involved with PTO
The Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) is open to parents/guardians of K-8 students at Pine Hill or South Bay Schools. The PTO is a huge supporter of our schools, and through their efforts thousands of dollars are raised each year to directly benefit the children in our district. PTO meets the third Thursday each month at 6:00pm. The location alternates each month from one site to the other. The first PTO meeting will be held at the Pine Hill Library on September 22 at 6:00pm. Please bring a friend and get involved with other parent/guardians like yourself who want to help make a difference in their child’s school.
Bus Schedule
Minor modifications have been made to the bus schedule since the start of school. Please see the new schedules at www.southbayschool.org. Students do not need a special form to ride the bus to school in the morning. However, we do monitor who rides the bus home in the afternoon. A student must use their regular bus stop each day, and may not change from their bus stop without a parent note.
Parent Pick Up
If you must pick up your child before the school day is over (3:00pm), you must sign the student out in the front office – no exceptions! Having a student come up missing during the day causes havoc and unnecessary stress on the staff. Thank you.
Student Release
The school office will only release your child to individuals listed on your emergency card. If you want someone other than you to pick up your child, and they are not on the emergency card, you must make prior arrangements with the school office.
TV & DVD Player Donations Needed
There are currently three (3) classrooms that do NOT have televisions with DVD players in them. In light of these tight budgetary times, we are seeking donations. If you have a 27" or larger television set or a DVD (or Blu-ray player) that you are not using, we can put it to good use. Please contact Superintendent Paul Meyers.
Volunteer Handbook Now Available Online
Volunteers play an important and valuable role in education. The volunteer program provides you with an opportunity to increase your knowledge of the educational process. Regardless of the type of volunteer work you do, you will play a key role in helping our students. You will receive satisfaction for doing an important job and have an opportunity to meet other members of the community. Volunteering may help you acquire new skills and work experience for future jobs. Volunteers enable teachers to maximize their time. Our children benefit from more individualized attention and an enriched curriculum. Teachers, students, administrators, parents, and the community benefit from the work of people like you, who freely share their talents and resources. There is a place for every kind of volunteer talent.
January Menus Now Available
New this year: Breakfast is free for all students, regardless of family income. The salad bar will only be available at South Bay School and will NOT be available at Pine Hill. At lunch, students will again have the option to order peanut butter and jelly sandwiches if they do not what the entree that day. The Junior High students at the charter school may choose the pbj, main entrée or alternate entrée Ttues-Thurs only). They will order hot or pbj in the morning. If they order hot lunch, they can choose between the two hot entrees at the cafeteria serving window, they do not need to choose which hot entrée they want before they arrive for lunch.
The menus for school breakfast and lunches are now available online. They are in the pdf format so that anyone with a connection to the Internet can download them onto their computer can use the free program Adobe Reader® to view and/or print them.
Download the Menus: Breakfast or Lunch
If you do not have Adobe Reader on your computer, you can download it for free by clicking on the link. Download Adobe Reader
The cost of a student breakfast is $1.00 for children and $1.25 for adults. Student lunches are now $1.85 per day and adult lunches cost $3.50.
Dear parents and guardians:
Last year we instituted a district wide policy limiting the amount of meal charges. As of October 1st, 2011, we will lower this limit to $50 per child. While we wish to continue the occasional charged meal, we must also keep an eye on our food service dollars. Your assistance in pre-paying, or promptly addressing, your child’s meal balance allows us to continue offering the best nutrition possible for all students. Beginning October 1st, students who exceed $50 in meal charges will not have full access to our meal program.
Your school secretary is available to work with any family that needs to establish a payment plan for past balances. They can also assist you in reapplying for the federally funded free and reduced meal program. Families that have had changes, even temporarily, to income or family size may qualify to begin receiving free or reduced price meals immediately. Families that receive state benefits, such as food stamps, TANF, CALWORKS, and those families with foster children may qualify regardless of income. Please see your secretary for more information.
Please note, this policy does not affect our school breakfast program, which this year is free for every student. We are excited to offer this pilot program, and about the potential benefits. Multiple studies have shown; increased test scores, decreased absences, tardiness and behavioral problems when students eat a balanced meal just before the beginning of each school day. I would highly encourage you to take advantage of this program. Your child can enjoy a free breakfast, every day, without adding to their meal balance! Because this is a pilot program, it is dependent on student participation. In order to continue the program, we need to serve breakfast to as many kids as possible. Please talk with your child and encourage them to eat breakfast at school.
Sincerely,
Mason Clark
Food Service Director
Mr. Trone's Class Website
Mr. Trone has redone his class web site and moved to a new server. You can visit and find out more about Mr. Trone, see pictures, get news about what is happening in the classrom and find out about homework.
Click here to go to Mr. Trone's class web site.
Mrs. Ross's Class Website
Mrs. Ross also has a class web site. Click here to go to Mrs. Ross's class web site.
Accelerated Reader Resources
Here are some resources to help families help support their children in using the Accelerated Reader program.
The Parent’s Guide to Accelerated Reader
This document gives parents a complete reference to Accelerated Reader, including common questions and answers about the software. Parents will receive a comprehensive overview explaining how you can help your students become stronger readers with AR™.
A Parent’s Guide to Accelerated Reader: Questions and Answers
A Parent’s Guide to Accelerated Reader - Spanish Version
The Parent’s Guide to AR BookFinder
If parents want to help their children choose books, or if they want to help their kids learn how to choose the right books for themselves—AR BookFinder™ is the answer. With a few clicks of a mouse, parents and children can search for titles at the appropriate level, so they will find books that are both interesting and enjoyable.
A Parent’s Guide to AR BookFinder
A Parent’s Guide to AR BookFinder - Spanish Version
AR BookFinder Quick Link
Encourage parents to help their child search for appropriate books based on their child’s interests and ZPD at: http://www.arbookfind.com/default.aspx.
The Parent’s Guide to Renaissance Home Connect
Research confirms that parental involvement in a child’s education is a strong predictor of student achievement. Encourage your students’ parents to log onto Renaissance Home Connect™ to get instant updates on their student’s reading progress!
A Parent’s Guide to Renaissance Home Connect
A Parent’s Guide to Renaissance Home Connect - Spanish Version
Click here to log on to South Bay School's Home Connect.
After using AR Bookfinder to find a book that your child would like to read and then take an Accelerated Reader test on you can use the link to the Pine Hill School library computer and search to see if the book is in our collection. If not, you can use the link below to go to Humboldt County Library website to see if it in their collection.
Humboldt County Library Online Library Catalog
Click here or on the graphic below to go the Humboldt County Public Library Online Library Catalog.
Parent/Student Handbook Online
August 21, 2009
South Bay School is pleased to announce that the Parent/Student Handbook has been revised for the 2009-2010 school year and is now available on line. You can use the HANDBOOK link to the left or in the Documents pull-down menu above.
Kids' TV time linked to school woes, bad habits
By Amanda Gardner, Health.com
Click here to download a pdf of this article.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- TV watching is associated with bullying and lowered overall math achievement
- Negative effects of TV could be symptoms of broader family and household dynamics
- Another theory is that the act of watching television can harm developing brains
- The best way for young children to watch TV is with a parent
(Health.com) -- Young children who watch a lot of TV aren't just missing out on more stimulating activities. They may also be destined for problems at school and unhealthier habits later in life, new research suggests.
Healthy Choices
New Wellness Policy Goes Into Effect
Last year South Bay Union School District adopted a Wellness Policy that is in line with state mandates. The following are the goals of this policy:
Standards & Frameworks
Information regarding standards and frameworks designed to encourage the highest achievement of every student by defining the knowledge, concepts, and skills that students should acquire at each grade level.
Content standards were designed to encourage the highest achievement of every student, by defining the knowledge, concepts, and skills that students should acquire at each grade level.
Frameworks are blueprints for implementing the content standards adopted by the California State Board of Education and are developed by the Curriculum Development and Supplemental Materials Commission.
