Cambrian School District



	Welcome to the Cambrian School District! District Announcements In The News Memorial Day Holiday All schools will be closed Monday, May 27th, in observance of Memorial Day. Registration Procedures Registration packets for the 2013-14 school year will be available at your school of residence beginning Monday, December 10, 2012. Please return completed packets to the district office located at 4115 Jacksol Drive, San Jose. Refer to the registration schedule for dates and times. The days and times are limited, and we are unable to review packets on other days or times. Please bring all required documentation with you at the time of registration. Cambrian District will admit as many charter and interdistrict students as space allows. You may obtain an application at your school of choice and return it to district office. If district staff determines that we are able to accommodate transfer students, a random lottery will be held by school. You will be notified by telephone if your student will be admitted. Upon receipt of the phone call you will have 48 hours to accept the transfer so it is important that you return our call right away. Day of The Employee On April 24th, the Cambrian School District Governing Board and District Office Administrators collaboratively recognized all Cambrian School District employees for the great work they do daily to support student learning on the Day of the Employee. It was a pleasure for the District Governing Board Members and District Office Administrators to serve ice cream sundaes to each ...employee. The ice cream sundae was a small gesture to say, ‘thank you’ to each individual for their on-going commitment and dedication. It goes without saying, that each member of the Cambrian team is valued as collectively, and united, we make a difference in the lives of our students in Cambrian School District. Congratulations to Dan Kirwan, 2013 Comcast All Star Teacher Finalist Dan Kirwan has been selected as a Comcast All Star finalist. The winning school receives $20,000 from Comcast and Provident Credit Union. Please vote for Dan no later than June 2nd. Limit one vote per text and email address. Text Kirwan to 82653 or vote online at http://CSNBayArea.com/allstarteacher2013. Family Science Night Recently we hosted our 3rd annual Family Science Night. Over 300 students, their parents and teachers from across the district were engaged in hands on science investigations that demonstrated motion, sound, weight, and much more. We truly enjoyed interacting with the students as they asked questions, learned about new concepts and shared their observation with friends and family. Thank you to our Science Leadership team and the many Cambrian teachers who helped make this event possible. Bagby Students Compete in Odyssey of the Mind We are extremely proud of our Bagby students who recently competed in the Odyssey of the Mind Competition (www.odysseyofthemind.com). This competition is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students. Both Bagby teams came in 4th place overall in their problems and they were both the #1 team for each of their spontaneous portions of the day. This was the first year the teams participated in the event and they did fantastic. Michelle Makinson receives Goldin Award for Excellence in Education Michelle Makinson, 4th grade teacher at Bagby Elementary, has been named an award winner for the Goldin Award for Excellence in Education. The Award celebration will be held at Saratoga High School the evening of May 1st. The Goldin Foundation for Excellence in Education recognizes and rewards educators who have made outstanding contributions in their classrooms, schools and communities. The Foundation seeks to foster the respect for and appreciation of educators. It also seeks to retain quality educators and attract others to the profession. The award is designed to recognize excellence, expertise, and demonstrable achievement in education. Criteria for this award correspond closely to the Foundation’s belief that educators play a vital role in society supporting young people’s growth and preparing them to be adaptable, flexible, creative, and responsive to future societal changes. Price 8th Graders Looking Forward to High School After the holiday break, getting registered for high school is a primary goal for our 8th graders. To help them transition, our feeder high school district, Campbell Union, held Parent Nights and sent guidance counselors from Branham, Leigh, Del Mar and Westmont to register our students. Families are encouraged to talk together about their child’s interests, skills and goals in preparation for high school and beyond. Students were introduced to the 4-year high school plan, A-G coursework, and basic requirements for graduation and college entrance. If you are a charter family, you will need to register with your home district high school for fall. Mrs. Tokihiro met with students and sent out a letter detailing next steps you may need to take. A copy of the letter is available on our website’s 8th grade page along with activities for the year. Fammatre Recognizes Judy Pike and Charlotte Stinson Fammatre is privileged to recognize Judy and Charlotte with Good Apple Awards. Judy has been helping our students and parents cross busy Leigh Avenue each morning and afternoon for over four years. Charlotte has been in front of Fammatre School on New Jersey Avenue for over seven years. Their dedication and commitment to serving our community do...es not go unnoticed. Like clockwork both of these amazing women take their posts each day ready to greet our families and cross them safely to school. Without a doubt, the Fammatre community shares their gratitude for your continued service. Parents and students look forward to your friendly smiles and greetings each morning and the children crossing tell us they feel safe and protected as they make their way to and from school. Thank you both for protecting children, for being present each day through the cold, rain, and heat and for your kind and caring dedication to our community. Knowing you are both here to give safe passage for our most valuable treasures is a gift that cannot be measured. February 1st - Staff Development Day All schools were closed for students on February 1, 2013 for a staff development day. Cambrian is committed to high quality instruction and the continued professional development of our teachers. Response to Connecticut Shooting We are all saddened by the horrific school shooting that occurred today in Connecticut. Our hearts go out to all those affected. I want to assure all parents that we have safety and security procedures in place to protect our students and staff. At this time, our psychologists and counseling support staff are prepared and ready to assist students, parents and staff in dealing with this tragedy. Additionally, our leadership continues to work together with local law enforcement to ensure the safety of our students and staff. (Read more) San Jose students send "secret Santa" items to Sandy Hook Every year, students in Debbie Stein's classes at Ida Price Middle School bring small gifts for a "secret Santa" exchange. This year, eighth-grader Andrew McBain suggested that instead of giving to each other, students should donate the presents to Sandy Hook Elementary students in Connecticut. (Read more) Price Middle School students take Grand Prize in November's Mouse Squad Microproject Contest We had a tie for our Grand Prize $60 gift card to Best Buy, but both were students from Ida Price Charter Middle School in San Jose, California. This month Zach H and Ryan M, will split the Grand prize glory while their Squad enjoys the gift card! Zach H's "Sky" and Ryan M's "Lost" won the Grand Prize because they both made very fun, detailed and challenging games with many different levels, great story lines and a whole lot of hard work. (Read more) Cambrian School District recognized in A Look at Learning (A.L.L.) Newsletter Congratulations to Cambrian School District for meeting all three Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAO) targets for English learners and earning a place among the 14 percent of Local Educational Agencies that met these targets in 2012. (Read more) Cambrian’s approach to incorporating instructional technology into classroom instruction featured in the professional journal Education Leadership At Cambrian School District, we're trying a new approach as we investigate new technologies. Rather than roll out a one-size-fits-all mandate that teachers use a new "box" which may sit gathering dust, we’ve implemented a new model. Early in the last school year we announced the Digital Media Academy, and in March 2012, the iPad Academy, . . . (Read more) Blog features Cambrian students using PSAs to resolve playground issues When four unruly boys were sent to the principal’s office at Bagby Elementary they didn’t get the usual disciplinary lecture. Instead, principal Kathy Kimpel made it a “teachable moment” for them. Working in conjunction with CreaTV the boys are NOW creating public service announcements to address some tough playground issues. Teachers Sandra McConnell and Shelia Monger are the innovative teachers at the heart of this program. (Read more)

District Announcements
In The News

Memorial Day Holiday

All schools will be closed Monday, May 27th, in observance of Memorial Day.

Registration Procedures

Registration packets for the 2013-14 school year will be available at your school of residence beginning Monday, December 10, 2012. Please return completed packets to the district office located at 4115 Jacksol Drive, San Jose. Refer to the registration schedule for dates and times. The days and times are limited, and we are unable to review packets on other days or times. Please bring all required documentation with you at the time of registration.

Cambrian District will admit as many charter and interdistrict students as space allows. You may obtain an application at your school of choice and return it to district office. If district staff determines that we are able to accommodate transfer students, a random lottery will be held by school. You will be notified by telephone if your student will be admitted. Upon receipt of the phone call you will have 48 hours to accept the transfer so it is important that you return our call right away.

Day of The Employee

On April 24th, the Cambrian School District Governing Board and District Office Administrators collaboratively recognized all Cambrian School District employees for the great work they do daily to support student learning on the Day of the Employee. It was a pleasure for the District Governing Board Members and District Office Administrators to serve ice cream sundaes to each ...employee. The ice cream sundae was a small gesture to say, ‘thank you’ to each individual for their on-going commitment and dedication. It goes without saying, that each member of the Cambrian team is valued as collectively, and united, we make a difference in the lives of our students in Cambrian School District.

Congratulations to Dan Kirwan, 2013 Comcast All Star Teacher Finalist

Dan Kirwan has been selected as a Comcast All Star finalist. The winning school receives $20,000 from Comcast and Provident Credit Union.

Please vote for Dan no later than June 2nd. Limit one vote per text and email address. Text Kirwan to 82653 or vote online at http://CSNBayArea.com/allstarteacher2013.

Family Science Night

Recently we hosted our 3rd annual Family Science Night. Over 300 students, their parents and teachers from across the district were engaged in hands on science investigations that demonstrated motion, sound, weight, and much more. We truly enjoyed interacting with the students as they asked questions, learned about new concepts and shared their observation with friends and family. Thank you to our Science Leadership team and the many Cambrian teachers who helped make this event possible.

Bagby Students Compete in Odyssey of the Mind

We are extremely proud of our Bagby students who recently competed in the Odyssey of the Mind Competition (www.odysseyofthemind.com). This competition is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students. Both Bagby teams came in 4th place overall in their problems and they were both the #1 team for each of their spontaneous portions of the day. This was the first year the teams participated in the event and they did fantastic.

Michelle Makinson receives Goldin Award for Excellence in Education

Michelle Makinson, 4th grade teacher at Bagby Elementary, has been named an award winner for the Goldin Award for Excellence in Education. The Award celebration will be held at Saratoga High School the evening of May 1st.

The Goldin Foundation for Excellence in Education recognizes and rewards educators who have made outstanding contributions in their classrooms, schools and communities. The Foundation seeks to foster the respect for and appreciation of educators. It also seeks to retain quality educators and attract others to the profession.

The award is designed to recognize excellence, expertise, and demonstrable achievement in education. Criteria for this award correspond closely to the Foundation’s belief that educators play a vital role in society supporting young people’s growth and preparing them to be adaptable, flexible, creative, and responsive to future societal changes.

Price 8th Graders Looking Forward to High School

After the holiday break, getting registered for high school is a primary goal for our 8th graders. To help them transition, our feeder high school district, Campbell Union, held Parent Nights and sent guidance counselors from Branham, Leigh, Del Mar and Westmont to register our students. Families are encouraged to talk together about their child’s interests, skills and goals in preparation for high school and beyond. Students were introduced to the 4-year high school plan, A-G coursework, and basic requirements for graduation and college entrance. If you are a charter family, you will need to register with your home district high school for fall. Mrs. Tokihiro met with students and sent out a letter detailing next steps you may need to take. A copy of the letter is available on our website’s 8th grade page along with activities for the year.

Fammatre Recognizes Judy Pike and Charlotte Stinson

Fammatre is privileged to recognize Judy and Charlotte with Good Apple Awards. Judy has been helping our students and parents cross busy Leigh Avenue each morning and afternoon for over four years. Charlotte has been in front of Fammatre School on New Jersey Avenue for over seven years. Their dedication and commitment to serving our community do...es not go unnoticed. Like clockwork both of these amazing women take their posts each day ready to greet our families and cross them safely to school.

Without a doubt, the Fammatre community shares their gratitude for your continued service. Parents and students look forward to your friendly smiles and greetings each morning and the children crossing tell us they feel safe and protected as they make their way to and from school.

Thank you both for protecting children, for being present each day through the cold, rain, and heat and for your kind and caring dedication to our community. Knowing you are both here to give safe passage for our most valuable treasures is a gift that cannot be measured.

February 1st - Staff Development Day

All schools were closed for students on February 1, 2013 for a staff development day. Cambrian is committed to high quality instruction and the continued professional development of our teachers.

Response to Connecticut Shooting

We are all saddened by the horrific school shooting that occurred today in Connecticut. Our hearts go out to all those affected. I want to assure all parents that we have safety and security procedures in place to protect our students and staff. At this time, our psychologists and counseling support staff are prepared and ready to assist students, parents and staff in dealing with this tragedy. Additionally, our leadership continues to work together with local law enforcement to ensure the safety of our students and staff. (Read more)

San Jose students send "secret Santa" items to Sandy Hook

Every year, students in Debbie Stein's classes at Ida Price Middle School bring small gifts for a "secret Santa" exchange. This year, eighth-grader Andrew McBain suggested that instead of giving to each other, students should donate the presents to Sandy Hook Elementary students in Connecticut. (Read more)

Price Middle School students take Grand Prize in November's Mouse Squad Microproject Contest

We had a tie for our Grand Prize $60 gift card to Best Buy, but both were students from Ida Price Charter Middle School in San Jose, California. This month Zach H and Ryan M, will split the Grand prize glory while their Squad enjoys the gift card! Zach H's "Sky" and Ryan M's "Lost" won the Grand Prize because they both made very fun, detailed and challenging games with many different levels, great story lines and a whole lot of hard work. (Read more)

Cambrian School District recognized in A Look at Learning (A.L.L.) Newsletter

Congratulations to Cambrian School District for meeting all three Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAO) targets for English learners and earning a place among the 14 percent of Local Educational Agencies that met these targets in 2012. (Read more)

Cambrian’s approach to incorporating instructional technology into classroom instruction featured in the professional journal Education Leadership

At Cambrian School District, we're trying a new approach as we investigate new technologies. Rather than roll out a one-size-fits-all mandate that teachers use a new "box" which may sit gathering dust, we’ve implemented a new model. Early in the last school year we announced the Digital Media Academy, and in March 2012, the iPad Academy, . . . (Read more)

Blog features Cambrian students using PSAs to resolve playground issues

When four unruly boys were sent to the principal’s office at Bagby Elementary they didn’t get the usual disciplinary lecture. Instead, principal Kathy Kimpel made it a “teachable moment” for them. Working in conjunction with CreaTV the boys are NOW creating public service announcements to address some tough playground issues. Teachers Sandra McConnell and Shelia Monger are the innovative teachers at the heart of this program. (Read more)