Just the Facts
Woodland Star Weekly Update
Monday, March 10th, 2008
Learning to think, to care, to create
UPCOMING SCHOOL
EVENTS
Monday, March 10th, 5th Grade Parent Evening, 6-7:30 PM
Tuesday, March 11th, Stars in the Night Wrap-Up meeting, 8:30 AM, Main Hall
Wednesday, March 12th, Charter Council Budget Meeting, 7:00 PM
Thursday, March 13th, Coffee & Conversation with Barbara Warren, 8:30-10 AM
Thursday, March 13th, Parent Council Meeting, 6:30 PM
Mon-Friday, March 17-21st, CONFERENCE WEEK, 1 PM DISMISSAL ALL WEEK
Monday, March 24th, Both Kindergartens Parent Meeting, 6-7:30 PM
Tuesday, March 25th, 1st and 3rd Grade Parent Evening, 6-7:30 PMAnnouncements
Congratulations Stars In the Night Committee and Woodland Star Community!
What a wonderful event and great party! The Woodland Star Charter Council wishes to officially recognize and congratulate the superlative job done by the auction committee on this year's amazing Stars in the Night. The dedicated volunteers are listed later in this newsletter, thank you one and all for your huge dedication to our school's success. CONGRATULATIONS!
From the Desk of the WSEF... Another quick check in to let you know that the final numbers from our successful Stars In The Night are still being tabulated and finalized. As you can imagine, it takes some time to not only assess all the "incoming" funds; we also need to factor in and adjust for the expenditures that made the evening so memorable for all who participated (and all the planning that took place beforehand). Once we get there, rest assured that we'll be sharing the good news.
Volunteer Wrap-Up Meeting ~ Tuesday, March 11th 8:30 AM in the Main Hall. All volunteers are welcome to discuss this year's fundraiser, what worked and ideas for next year.
Charter Council Budget Meeting ~ Wednesday, March 12th, 7:00 PM in the Main Hall ~ All are welcome to participate in the public comments portion of this meeting where we will be discussing next year's budget. The Charter Council will meet in closed session from 6:30 - 7 PM and will open the meeting to the public at 7 PM. Childcare will be available at $5 per child from 7-8:30 PM for those who sign up in advance in the office.
Our school is in a challenging budget planning process for next year. The coincidence of the conclusion of our three-year implementation grant, scheduled repayments of start-up loans, low family giving donations and lower than preferred enrollment in upper grades combines with state funding cuts to total an approximate $200,000 projected deficit for 2008-2009. At their January 16 meeting, the Charter Council began an organized process to work on this, directing the administration and the faculty to give suggestions and pedagogical input on ways to balance the budget. The Admin Finance Committee, which re-formed after the all-school meeting last September, and an ad-hoc faculty task force have been meeting independently to propose suggestions, which are likely to include cuts, reductions or reconfigurations of current programs. These bodies will work together in preparation for the March 12 meeting, where there will be a public presentation of suggestions for balancing the budget, an opportunity for public comment and discussion among the Council members. Parents are encouraged to attend the March 12 meeting to learn about proposals and to offer public comment. Ultimate decisions will be made by the Charter Council, which is comprised of six parents, two teachers and a community member. All public schools in California are experiencing financial challenges; at Woodland Star we have the benefit and momentum of a remarkably capable and dedicated faculty, administration and parent body accustomed to working together for creative and effective problem solving. Please take an active interest in our budget solutions by attending the March 12 Charter Council meeting at 6:30 PM in the Main Hall.
On Tuesday, March 11th, we will have available, at the front counter, proposals for specific budget cuts. These proposals are generated by the faculty and the Admin/finance committee. It would be very helpful to review this information prior to attending the Budget meeting on March 12th. Thanks in advance for your interest.
--Mr. Romer
How You Can Help~ All California schools are facing significant cuts to state funding and are looking at ways to reduce costs. We are not alone in this situation, and we encourage all community members to help. There are several ways in which all of us can help, right now, to decrease the impact of these proposed budget cuts. We need all of our community to rally, and the sooner the better. Below are suggestions for how WSS community members can help reduce the sizable impact that the current budget cuts may have. If you have questions, please come to the March 12th Charter Council meeting and learn more. It is important that we all have the correct information and pull together to weather this storm. We have incredible resources (not just fiscal) within our community and now is the time to bring those ideas and resources forward.
1. Bring your child to school
each day. As simple as that sounds,
for each day that a child misses school, WSS loses $41.55 for a K-3rd
grader, $35.91 for a 4-6th grader and $36.84 for a 7-8th
grader. We do not want to encourage bringing
sick children to school, rather this is geared to those taking a day off to
head down to the city or starting a vacation early. While such trips are fun, please re-think
those ideas and try and do them when we have one of our many breaks, we need your
child here regularly, not only for fiscal reasons, but for the benefit of their
learning and classroom experience as well.
2. Sign up for e-scrip or renew
your subscription. It is as safe and
simple as logging onto e-scrip.com and completing the brief enrollment
form. Encourage the whole extended
family and clan of friends to sign up as well.
For questions, please call e-scrip co-ordinator Kimberly Buchanan at
939-8708 or 343-5806.
3. Participate in the Family Giving program. Every little bit helps and all participation is welcomed and readily accepted. For an application, see Susan or Janis in the office. All contributions are confidential and tax-deductible.
4. Volunteer. We always need your help, and by volunteering
you are helping us save money as well as creating a stronger, healthier
community. This community belongs to
each of us and we are all needed to be stewards in any way that we can. By being in service to our community, we
become deeply connected to the community and benefit in a myriad of ways. For more details contact Todd Kneeland,
volunteer coordinator at 935-6286.
Lottery Update ~ Our next lottery is March 28th, so if you have friends/family interested in WSS, encourage them to get their applications in now. Applications can be picked up in the office or on the web at: woodlandstarschool.org
Need that perfect gift to celebrate Spring? Look no further than the WSS school store~ finger puppets, cookie cutters, growth charts, books, & more merchandise is arriving daily for all of your gifting needs. Shop Thursdays from 12:30-1:30 pm and Friday mornings 8:30-9:30. By supporting the school store you are not only getting beautiful Waldorf inspired merchandise at phenomenal prices, but supporting our school store so that we can continue to offer this service, check it out!
After Care Needs ~ If you have what we need, please contact Miss Gaylan.
After care provides for all a counter full of bread, vegetables, eggs, pasta and odd
dishes for the nourishment of all: children, faculty, staff, parents and visitors. To
be able to afford this necessary offering, we appreciate donations whether it be
fruit from you backyard abundance extras from your kitchen and shopping as well
as old fashioned left-overs, all donations are welcome and appreciated!
Aftercare Library ~Have you seen the aftercare library? There is a growing
collection of wonderful books lovingly organized by Nancy Hyde. You'll find fiction
and non-fiction along with beautiful art, reference and history books all available
for children and their families to check out. Stop by to browse and enjoy!
Bella Yarns of Sonoma Spring Schedule ~ Join WSS mom Linda Tropeano for a
wonderful line up of classes. You can get the full details by hecking the website
at : bellayarns.net
Stop by on Monday, March 3rd for some cake, goodies and specials. Pick up our
list of new classes on cotton sock making, an evening wrap, a trappy little bag, a
summer shell or crop tops, and more! Don't miss the Children's Club, Friday
Morning Mom's Circle and the Friday night knitting club, all that and more at
Bella Yarns, 521 Broadway, see you there!
Yoga Class ~ Join Ariana Kanwit for a relaxing afternoon yoga class, Tuesdays
from 3:30-5 PM. All levels are welcome to this intimate and riendly setting.
Classes are held in the home of a WSS parent, for more information see Ariana.
Metric Motors donates 5% of
all sales to local school of the customer's choice. Metric specializes in European and Japanese
vehicles, although other cars are also welcome.
It is a family owned business that provides high levels of customer
service at reasonable prices. See John
at 21600 8th St East,
996-4870. *Thank you Metric Motors for a recent school donation of $815!
Book Sale ~ Friends of the Marin county free library. Sat and Sun March 29-30 at the National Guard Armory in San Rafael. For more information go to: marinlibraryfriends.marin.org