Important Dates
Monday, November 2: Dia de los Muertos Celebration
Tuesday, November 10: Coffee with Carolyn, 8:30 am - 10:00 am
Wednesday, November 11: Veterans Day - No School
Monday, November 16 - Friday, November 20: Early Dismissal Days for Parent Teacher Conferences at 12:45 p.m.
Wednesday, November 18: Board of Trustees Meeting at 3:30 p.m.
Monday, November 23 - Friday, November 27: Thanksgiving Break
Monday, November 30: Tuition Assistance Applications Due
Friday, December 4: Advent Spiral
Thursday, December 10: Winter Grades Presentation at 5:30 p.m.
Friday, December 18: Last Day of Term - Early Dismissal at 12:45 p.m.
Dia de los Muertos
Our Dia de los Muertos celebration is this Monday, November 2. The students will be visiting the altar during the morning.
The altar will be open to the community from 1:30 to 2:30 pm in the Grade 8 classroom in the administrative building.
Thanksgiving Food Drive
The students in the Grades 7 and 8 class are organizing a food drive to collect items to donate to the Santa Barbara Food Bank. As we approach the season of giving thanks, we hope that our students feel a sense of service by donating to this effort.
Students are encouraged to bring in canned and dry goods to their classroom starting on Monday, November 2, and then may bring in fresh items (that don't need refrigeration) starting on Wednesday, November 18.
Preparation for a Safe Winter
Earlier this month, WSSB leadership attended the Virtual El Niño Community Meeting hosted by the County of Santa Barbara. This meeting brought together local and regional experts to help residents understand potential winter weather impacts and prepare for the upcoming rainy season. Representatives from the National Weather Service Los Angeles/Oxnard (NWS), County Office of Emergency Management (OEM), County Fire, County Sheriff’s Office, and County Public Works Flood Control and Transportation divisions provided comprehensive briefings and answered community questions The summary of the meeting is attached to this newsletter.
We are also in touch with local organizations including the Santa Barbara County Education Office and other school leaders as we plan and prepare early for possible impacts from El Niño. We are included in all emergency alerts and communications from local weather and emergency services.
We have purchased additional emergency supplies including battery operated lights and heaters. We are also reviewing protocols for school closures.
You can help your family prepare by making sure we have your current emergency contact information, watching for school updates, and signing up for countywide alerts at ReadySBC. For additional resources, visit sbceo.org/news.
Integrative Student Support - Friends Time and Student Time
Crossing the Line
Friend Time – Student Time
Kim John Payne shares that he is observing an increasing dynamic in children and teens who struggle to shift their behavior according to the environment they are in. He explains that he believes that this is because many kids may not have had a consistent, authoritative adult figure in their early years, and beyond, to bond with. They then may fill this leadership vacuum by attaching to each other. Kim calls this “horizontal attachment.” This means that friends and social interaction or social media tends to fill a space where an adult presence is needed. A common outcome of this horizontal attachment is a child’s difficulty in recognizing the difference between the social banter on the playground with friends and the need to switch gears when entering the classroom environment. They are not so much dismissive of the teacher when they continue to talk when asked to pay attention, it is simply that they don’t see the teacher or recognize that adults are now guiding the classroom environment.
Kim suggests a simple exercise to do with the students that, once completed, can be drawn up artistically and put up on the wall for easy reference when needed. On the left or red side of the diagram the class lists all the words that come to mind that describe how it is best to have fun in “Friend Time.” On the right hand or purple side of the diagram they list all the words that describe what good “Student Time” behavior means. This has proved to be a helpful exercise in several of our classes.
