march 2017 // theodorejudahpta.org
Just as Garden/Science current curriculum of the garden. Although
some topics are only covered in garden or
Alive has grown, so
has our Green Team, science, there is a great deal of collaboration to ensure that students get exposed
which is currently
was founded by volto as much as possible within the strucled by Mrs. Ly,
unteer parents, such
ture of our given program. Teachers have
Mrs. Gambirazio,
as Eileen Harvey. She
done an excellent job of transporting lab
Mr. Brewer, Ms.
and others started
materials from the science closet to their
Rosenheim and
with a few raised beds,
Mr. Bruce. They help classroom, presenting every lab twice so
seeds and a desire to
students get to participate in a lab when
guide student volunshare the world of gardenthey are not in the garden with a docent.
teers to improve the tj
ing with our students. It flourecosystem (as we call it) via
Theodore Judah used to have a science
ished, and like all of our thriving
recycling and composting. Their
programs, another parent picked up the
efforts have reduced our waste, improved lab on campus, but as the number of stumantle and propelled it to the next level.
our compost and reinforced the volunteer dents grew, the lab became a classroom.
But Garden/Science Alive will soon have
spirit on campus. That parent was Shannon Hardwick. Ala lab once more! When the new building
though she would be the first to tell you
opens up, one of our current classrooms
With lunchtime recycling, the active comshe did not do this alone, she turned
will become a science lab.
post, a growing garden and our beautiful
garden and science into lessons and labs, chickens, Garden/Science Alive is not
Now a pilot program for scusd, Garden/
and continued for years to be the leader
just an idea but an intimate part of each
Science
Alive continues to thrive at Judah.
and driving force behind our thriving
student’s world. This world is only made
Our
kitchen
manager, Andreya Hernandez,
program. What began as volunteer efforts possible by the parent docents, this year
led garden classes on a tour of the kitchbecame a pta-funded position, as this
and in all the previous years we have
en,
where students sampled and rated
program grew from a Paw Patch into
had the help. Our garden docents are
the Garden/Science Alive curriculum the
classroom parents, grandparents, parents new veggies. This led to new choices in
our salad bar and was featured in an
children experience today.
of student alumni, and folks from the
scusd Connections email [www.scusd.edu/
community with a passion for gardening
There is no substitute for the hands-on
e-connections-post/kitchen-tour-and-tastand the environment. Some come with a
learning that occurs in the garden and
ing-judah].
background in science, others with just
outdoor classroom. Garden docents lead
the desire to help. Not only do we come
Soil Born Farms is another supporter.
every student through life- and physitogether once a trimester for formal trainThey have donated seeds, seedlings,
cal-science concepts they apply to our
ing, docents receive weekly emails with
lessons and discounted our field trips.
world; students experience what they
lesson plans and supporting materials.
And we can't forget the folks at East Sac
are learning. Inherent to this hands-on
We use this platform to share ideas, build
Hardware: Ellen Sampson sought us out
approach is the fundamental foundation
on lessons and generally support one
to donate more than 100 packs of organic
of respect for our resources. The garden
another. If you happen to see one of the
seeds! Thank you!
is made up of more than seeds and plants.
docents out with a class, please take the
Students study vermiculture while explortime to say thank you!
Thank you to all who have donated in one
ing the worm bin, insect life-cycles in the
way or another to Garden/Science Alive!
butterfly pavilion, soil composition and
Every week, as students and their docents
Soon
you will have a chance to contribute
testing in the compost bins, and with the
study garden concepts, our teachers get
again – watch for future announcements
chickens, animal husbandry was added
an opportunity to present in-class science
to our curriculum and those birds seem to labs. These labs cover the Next Generation for our Seedling Sale coming this April!
be a favorite on campus!
Science Standards and hit on grade level
– Tracey Abernathy & Cindy Cole
topics that usually coordinate with the
Garden/Science Alive Team
Theodore Judah’s
Garden/Science
Alive Program
March’s character trait is adaptability.
The monthly character trait for March is
adaptability. The adaptable student can adjust
to ever-changing situations and still be successful. This is something the tj community has done
successfully many times this year.
We learned to adapt to the construction noise and obstacles of
the new building. The noise from this great building has not prevented mathematicians from learning fractions or little gardeners from growing produce. The playground space was reduced
and yet we still hear laughter and see smiles during recess. At
the Harvest Festival the cake walk was relocated to the gym and
the food trucks to the front of the school, yet we still had tons
of kids on campus during a super fun and packed event and
everyone still enjoyed the grass and shade of the front of campus, and the cakes stayed cool in the gym for the whole event.
Our beloved Principal Celeste left mid-year and yet we welcomed Principal Trimble with open arms and love seeing him on
the playground with kids during recess. Teachers are sometimes
out and substitutes come in, but that doesn’t stop the learning
process – we adapt! you adapt.
Being adaptable, flexible and fluid allows us all to make changes, re-prioritize and move forward despite any obstacles that
arise. Sometimes the changes that you make are even better
than the original plan.
Andrew Martin writes in his article, Coping With Change:
Teaching Adaptability Will Help Kids Grow [theconversation.
com/coping-with-change-teaching-adaptability-will-help-kidsgrow-19726] that “we found that young people who are more
adaptable were more likely to participate in class, enjoy school,
be more satisfied with life, have higher self-esteem, and have a
more concrete sense of meaning and purpose in life.”
Judah Bears are on their way to success as a result of their ability to adjust and adapt during the 2016-2017 school year.
– Laura Barrett
Kindness Alive Program Coordinator
Annual Fundraising Gala: Save the Date!
Arts Alive, Music Alive and Kindness
Alive. These weekly programs, held
during the school day, inspire the
students to create, innovate, explore
and think critically about the world
around them.
Be sure to check the pta website at theodorejudahpta.org to buy tickets!
This event is certain to sell out.
dinner by RICK MAHAN (Waterboy & OneSpeed)
appetizers by MARVIN MALDONADO (Federalist Public House)
Get your tickets before they sell out at THEODOREJUDAHPTA.ORG
HUGE THANKS to our title sponsor & tireless TJ boosters!
Mark your calendars and save the date for Theodore Judah’s 8th
Annual Fundraising Gala on April 29 from 6 to 11 pm! This year's
theme is Sparkles and Spurs, a western glam theme. We will
return to the beautiful Turn Verein on J Street for an evening of
dinner, beverages, entertainment, and live and silent auctions!
Dinner will be prepared by Rick Mahan of The Waterboy and
OneSpeed, and appetizers by Marvin Maldonado of The Federalist Public House, both tj parents.
This is our school’s largest fundraiser and funding source for
several supplemental student programs including Science Alive,
Join the Gala Planning Team:
we need you!
Do you want to be part of the team
that puts on East Sacramento’s party
of the year? If you’re interested in helping support tj for the
Gala, please contact Sarah Wallace ([email protected]
or 916.215.1474) or Natalie Miller ([email protected]).
Call for Sponsors and Donations
Part of the success of this fundraiser comes from our business
sponsors and auction item donations. If you are interested in
becoming a sponsor or want to donate an item please contact
Sarah Wallace at [email protected] or 916.215.1474.
program updates
Music Alive
Arts Alive
My first few days working with the tj students have been great!
The students and I spoke about the acronym drum (Discipline,
Respect and Unity through Music). These core values will
strengthen and support the students’ appreciation and understanding of music at Judah. The Arts Alive Program is ready for a change of season. When
spring comes around, it will be great to see the change in colors
from our rainy, winter months’ artwork into the brightness of spring.
Some of the games and activities we’ve done together include
musical introduction games, call-and-response activities, rhythm
games, listening exercises, movement games & singing exercises.
I look forward to introducing songs for spring celebration, rhythm
band technique and performance, ukulele technique and performance, group ensemble technique and performance, and extended melodic scale and rhythm exercises.
tj is a really great school, the teachers and staff have been very
supportive. I look forward to creating some great musical experiences and memories!
– Rob Keedy, Music Alive Instructor
Art is showing up in some interesting places in Sacramento.
Many people enjoy Second Saturday, but I was really blown away
by Art Street, a pop up gallery that exhibited in February. We even
had a few tj parents participate in some of the art installations.
As the weather clears and we start getting outside, consider
taking your kids on walks around your neighborhood on a visual
awareness tour. Look at the patterns on the sidewalk, manhole
covers, street address numbers, even garage sale signs tend to
be uniquely done. Making our students aware of their surroundings reinforces some of the art concepts they have been learning
at school.
We are discussing an Art Auction or Art Festival in an effort to
build on the successes of our last few years. The annual fundraiser will probably take a new shape as we are working with
the new music teacher to make sure he has plenty of time to
get students ready for a musical performance.
I’ve heard only great responses from the teachers so I want to
make sure I thank all the docents for the great job they have
been doing helping me this first year as the Arts Alive Coordinator. Keep up the good work.
– Bill McCloskey, Arts Alive Coordinator
email [email protected]
upcoming events
March 3.................................eat at Roxie Deli (from 4 to 7 pm)
March 10 through 17............minimum day schedule for
second trimester conferences
March 24..............................wear orange for Kindness Day
March 31...............................Theodore Judah Movie Night!
Roxie
Night
Join us in supporting the tj pta on Friday, March 3 by eating
dinner from Roxie Deli (C St. location only) from 4 to 7 pm!
Remember to mention tj when you buy your dinner & a portion
of the proceeds will be donated to the Theodore Judah pta!
AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com)
is a simple and automatic way for
you to support Theodore Judah Elementary every time you make an
Amazon.com purchase, at no cost
to you. When you shop at smile.
amazon.com, you’ll find the exact
same low prices, vast selection
and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with
the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the
purchase price to Theodore Judah. Sign up at smile.amazon.com and select “456 Theodore Judah Elementary pta”
as your designated account. Then just make sure to sign in
to Amazon Smile when making any Amazon.com purchase!
After School Programs
Have you ever wondered what’s going on after school? Well, the
answer is a lot! Outside of the two on-campus after school childcare programs, there are a number of parent-paid after school
programs including art, engineering, dance and music. Additionally, parent volunteers and teachers run the knitting club, the
Sacramento Theatre Company school play, talent show, speech
& debate, robotics, yearbook and TJ Times newspaper.
Find out more and learn how to register at the pta website
[theodorejudahpta.org/after-school-programs.html].
The pta wants you!
Nearly every position on the pta Board is open for the upcoming April/May elections. Please consider taking a leadership role
to help the pta next year. Information about the pta and positions can be found on the pta website. You can also learn more
by contacting a current board member. Thank you for supporting your tj pta!
Be on the lookout for info about the upcoming
tj movie night. The movie selection is yet to be
determined, but we know the date: March 31.
We hope to see you there!