Alisal Elementary Home

A small reserve of fabric masks and protective shields are available in the office for pick up. Thanks to the many dedicated PLAY leaders and volunteers who have been fundraising by tutoring, teaching, and performing at local musical concerts.

Just in case you missed our last Parent University, you can watch the recording of the presentation. The topic for Parent University (Episode #2) was Positive Behavior and Motivation Systems at Home. The presentation slides are also available and include some great "clickable" links. Be sure to check out the behavior charts that parents are welcome to print and use at home! Click on the link above to access the video and slide presentation.

The Welcome Committee is hosting an event for new families on Tuesday, October 27, from 6-7 pm. During the event, we will go over some information about school (attendance, checking out library books, yearbook, volunteering, etc.) and Pleasanton in general. We will answer any questions you may have. The first half will be geared towards parents and we will play some fun games with everyone at the end. Please sign up for the event by clicking on the link above to access the 'New Families Meet & Greet Sign Up' form and we will send you a zoom invite.

This Wednesday, October 7th, Alisal Elementary School will be celebrating our FIRST of TWO Global Play Days for the year. What IS Global Play Day, you ask? Well, put simply, it is a day when we celebrate and honor the need to unplug and PLAY! When we are on campus, kids roam our halls, choosing different classrooms to visit and different activities to participate in. Since we AREN'T on campus this time, teachers will instead be sharing with you a list of different activities for kids to choose from, again, all things your kids should be able to easily do at home (hopefully with no extra work from you) and all with the idea of unplugging and PLAYING! We will kick off our day with a Flag Salute, have a check in with our teachers just like we do every Wednesday, and for the rest of the day, find ways to be creative and grow our minds with play. We hope you enjoy this day as much as we do and that both you and your kids benefit from a day of fun PLAY!

Are you Bilingual and want to help non-english speaking families navigate the school better? At Alisal, relationships are very important to us and we really want to have better connections and partnerships at school. Alisal would love to utilize our bilingual parents as a resource that can help communicate with our non-English speaking families. If you would like to volunteer to help, please complete this form with a list of languages you speak. Click on the link above to access the Bilingual Parent Volunteer Form.

We have an open position to chair (a possibly co-chair) the Reflections Arts Program.  The Reflections program is fast approaching and we really would like to be able to offer this to our school. Are you are interested in filling this role?... or do you know someone that would be a great fit??   Please forward this request onto anyone you know that might be interested- it could be a parent, aunt, uncle, grandparent, etc....   The Chair also has the option to formulate a team of helpers, to make this a group effort!  Keep in mind that it will most likely be all virtual this year.... (maybe that makes it easier??) Click on the link above for more information.

Wondering how to be the best parent you can be in this ever changing world of constant togetherness and remote schooling? Need some reminders about when to walk away and when to hold firm to boundaries? (ME TOO!) Want some tips about how to keep kids safe on the internet and how to tell the difference between a Google Doc and a FlipGrid? Need some help figuring out how to help your child organize his/her/their work space? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then Parent University is for YOU. This year, Alisal Administrators, PTA Board members and Our School Counselor are all teaming up to bring to you some practical advice that we hope will not only help you survive, but maybe even thrive. And, we are going to be offering it in two different forums... If you just want to read tips, look for them in Around Alisal. Our first tip actually came out last week and included all kinds of useful information about Remote Learning. This week, we are featuring information about Digital Citizenship and Safety. Check out the resources and tips put together by Mrs. Martinez, our counselor! If you want to interact with other parents LIVE (but not in person), plan to join us at our first Coffee With the Principal on Thursday, September 3 at 9:00. We will Introduce Mrs. Martinez to everyone and then talk about Setting up Work Spaces and Using Positive Reinforcement to Reward and Shape Behaviors at Home.

Attention all 5th grade parents! Bear Hugs are a wonderful Alisal tradition and will still be included in the yearbook. Please click on the link above for more information and submission instructions. The due date is September 25, 2020. All Bear Hugs are FREE, and every 5th grader loves to see their special message when they receive their yearbook. Feel free to email Valerie Fang at YearbookAlisal@gmail.com with any questions.

Working together, we made it through our first week of remote learning. Was it without bumps in the road? Not in my house. Was it without tears? Not in my house. Was there maybe a little yelling...maybe in my house. But, we did it and next week will be even better. Remember that EVERY little thing you are experiencing as a parent in your home, I am experiencing as a parent in my home. I see how hard this is on our kids. I see how hard this is on us. I also see the other side. I see how faces light up when they see their teachers and their friends for the first time in months. I see how teachers smile and share stories of 5 and 6 year olds learning how to sign on and turn off their microphones, proud of their new accomplishments. I see office staff and PTA board members working tirelessly to support and encourage teachers so that they can do what they do best-connect with the kids. I see the good right along with the bad. As I have said all along, the key is going to be communication and flexibility. If you are struggling, let us know. If we are struggling, be patient and kind. Together, we can do this. Next week will be better, and the week after that even better, and after that, who knows...maybe it will be just grand?! Hang in there, we've got this!! Karen Johnson , principal

Check out our Back to School, August Flag Salute.