Stevenson Rocks! our annual Families For Stevenson spring fundraising event brought in over $14,000 with monies still trickling in! This money will help our school and our children by enhancing Arts education – both Performing and Visual Arts. It will help to encourage and stimulate community involvement. It will help to further the education and welfare of our children as well as support our teachers and administrators while promoting parent involvement.

We just wanted to extend a huge THANK YOU to everyone who generously donated so much time and energy to this great event! From the Decorating Committee to The Silent Auction Committee to The Grillin’ and Security Dads to all of the parent volunteers at every booth as well as our very special non-parent volunteers – you all did an outstanding job and we look forward to working with you again at our next event. The Stevenson yard LOOKED like a million bucks! Everyone really did an incredible job with their booths. You guys are truly do ROCK!

We also want to thank everyone who attended Stevenson Rocks! You all helped us to make it the HUGE success that it was!

The bands were awesome! Thank you for putting on such a great show for everyone and a special thank you to Markus who patiently ran the audio all night! Stevenson Kids, Rockit, Garri Dance, Thriller Kids, Burbank Music Academy’s Smash It Up!, Austin Anderson and his lovely dancers and Daisy Rock’s Color Vortex —THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Stevenson Blvd. was a huge HIT! Thank you to all of the parents who made each activity so much fun for everyone.

We’d like to thank the troopers who were still emailing each other at 2:00 am the night before – CHEERS TO YOU! The silent auction, raffles and sponsor presentations were an amazing feat and a huge success.

Thank you to Miss Ginnetti, Deidre, Joyce, Beverly, Oscar and Edgar for letting us take over the school for a week.

Our set up and cleanup crews (as exhausted as we were) did a great job. We can’t thank you enough for staying until the bitter end.

We also wish to send a warm thank you to every business, family and friend who made a donation to this event whether it was time, money, gift items or services – we couldn’t have been this successful without your donations.

And of course, thank you to our kids! YOU are the reason why we do this!

Lastly, a special thank you to the parents who started Families For Stevenson. You have worked tirelessly over the years all for the betterment of our children. Now, you turn over the reigns to a new group of parents who are honored to continue what you’ve started. Your presence will be missed more than you’ll ever know.

De Eldridge and Jennifer Jesperson
Stevenson Rocks! co-chairs

Check out more rocks photos here!

Miss Debbie Ginnetti

It is amazing that another year has flown by! This past year at Stevenson has been one of excellence in the quality of educational experiences for our students.  It has also been a year of Time Travelers, Boo Bash, Science Fair, fundraisers, promotion, and field trips.  Thank you for your support, especially during the financial crisis we are facing in California.

Parents and community support are key components in the success of the programs at Stevenson School.  Parents and community members volunteer thousands of hours a year.  A special thank you goes out to our outstanding PTA and Families for Stevenson Booster Association (FFS).  Both groups consist of hard-working, positive, supportive, and extremely capable members who always give so willingly of their time, talents, and energy whenever and wherever they were needed. Whether it’s organizing the Talent Show and All School Celebration, preparing for Stevenson Rocks, providing arts education for every student, or working the Book Fair, PTA and FFS are always there to help.  Their tireless energy and willingness to take on any task have enriched the lives of all students. Thank you to our parents who  have been so supportive of our fundraising efforts.  Your contributions are greatly appreciated.

Every child is surrounded by teachers, support staff, parents, and community members who strive for student success.  Our Teachers have worked tirelessly to provide a productive and positive learning climate.  Our Support and Classified staff has consistently demonstrated the highest degree of dedication and professional performance.  We greatly appreciate the unfailing support for and involvement of our wonderful Parents.  And a special note of thanks to Joyce and Deidre who handle the incredible demands and interruptions of the office with skill, tact, efficiency, and patience.

I am so proud of the accomplishments of our students this year.  Many children have visited my office to sign the Principal’s Log.  A large number of boys and girls have received a “reward tag” for academic excellence, outstanding attendance, and/or citizenship.  Moreover, a majority of Stevenson students continually display peace builder behaviors in the classroom, on the playground, and towards one another. Best wishes to our fifth graders as they leave us to go onto middle school.  They will be missed!

I hope you all have a restful summer and enjoy your families.  Please participate in our first annual “Read-a-thon”. Remember that school begins August 17. I look forward to seeing you then.

Fondly,

Debbie Ginnetti

AHOY, Pirates!

Here we are, it’s June already and another school year has zipped by. But if we think about it for a minute, we’ll clearly remember the many events that have made up the last nine months – the homework, the class projects, the testing, the sick days, Reflections and the Science Fair, Boo Bash and the Talent Show. We’ll remember the worries and concerns of how well our children are doing in class. Are they able to get enough from their teacher? Are they really able to learn the way we had hoped they would? Are they getting along with the other kids?

The good news is that we do have a fantastic public school experience available to our families here at Stevenson – great teachers, a fabulous Principal, and a very active PTA and Booster Club. And that’s probably why we have decided to become even more involved with our PTA – as a way to give back to this terrific school.

We are very proud to be the in-coming Exec. VP and President of our little PTA! As a team we will approach the upcoming year with a specific goal – to target the needs of Stevenson’s kids and make sure we are able to provide for those needs! Our arms are wide open to welcome new faces with new ideas. We want our Stevenson PTA Community to grow! We believe THIS will be the key to success in achieving our goal!

As Exec. VP & President of the Stevenson PTA, you will see us taking turns running our meetings. This is because we felt that working together we will be that much stronger. We have enthusiasm, a strong agenda and plenty of new ideas we are introducing to Stevenson. And because we are a team we know we can achieve our goals!

Here’s to next year- ARRRRGH!

AKA- “The Tag Team”

Tiffany Bakas & Felix Chamberlain

Volume 4

I don’t know about you, but I can’t believe it’s already the end of the school year! Summer is upon us, as is a water shortage. I was already turning my sprinklers off a couple of days a week. Now I’m told I have to do more of it.

We’re so spoiled here. Other places actually let their grass die in the winter! We’re used to beautiful green lawns on every street. I’m afraid those days are coming to an end.

Perhaps this summer, you can take some time to offload the clutter that we tend to accumulate and make a little extra cash? You could sell household goods through the Internet or have a garage sale. You could give gently used items to family, friends or to charities.

I’ve included some ideas and activities for you to try over the summer. They’re fun as well as useful!

Reuse holiday or greeting cards – Simply cut out a section from the old card, then shape and attach it to a piece of construction paper or punch a hole in it and tie it with a ribbon onto the gift.

Newspapers – So many uses! You can scrunch them up and put them in a suitcase for two weeks to remove stale odors. You can clean your windows or any glass surface with them. You can shred them and put them in your garden or compost. Or you can cancel your subscription or donate it to a school or nursing home and read the paper on-line!

Plastic bottles – Fill a plastic bottle with stones or sand and cover it with fabric or paint to make a door stop. Fill a bottle ¾ full, freeze it and put it in a cooler to help keep your drinks and food cool while at the beach or on a picnic. Cut the bottom off of a bottle and insert yarn or string. Pull the end out of the top, tape the bottom back on and no more tangled yarn!

Cans – Try cutting the tops and bottoms off of your cans and put them in your garden. Place baby plants in the center to protect and support them while also keeping slugs and snails away!

Glass jars – Use them for storing nuts, pasta and dried fruits, paperclips, nails, screws, and nuts & bolts.

Ceramics – Use chipped mugs to grow herbs and place them on your windowsill. Make a mosaic on an old table top or get some quick-set cement and make an art piece for your garden!

Fabrics – Old clothes can be used to cover your hot water bottle or make a bunch of pillows out of some cool old jeans or skirts. Use some old neckties to make a plant hanger, a lavender sachet or a cool belt! Keep your old stockings to strain paint or you can put some dirt in a stocking and add some strategically placed grass seed, paint a face on it, water every other day and see what kind of crazy “hair” grows out of it’s head!

These ideas can be fun and entertaining and can keep you and your child busy for hours while spending quality time with them and instilling them with love and respect for our environment.

I hope you have a happy and safe summer and remember, it is easy being green!

Jennifer Jesperson

Something very special happened in the auditorium during the final week of May at Stevenson. Just as I was preparing to deliver a lecture to the students about the life of our 35th President, John F. Kennedy, a very unexpected guest joined the assembly. While I had not planned on welcoming another Time Traveler to our school this year, I was delighted to learn that JFK himself had decided to honor our school with a visit.

He delivered an important message to our students about the importance of service to our nation and the world at large citing the Peace Corps as one example of how young people can share their knowledge with developing nations. He also mentioned the importance of responsible journalism and the constant need for people of integrity to pursue careers in politics and education. It was very interesting to hear him talk about the challenges his administration faced with Communism and the Cold War as well. He seemed particularly appreciative to have had great advisors to help him during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

At a time when so many of our students are preparing to leave Stevenson and move on to the challenges of middle school, it seemed very appropriate to remind them to “ask not what your country can do for you-ask what you can do for your country.” Special thanks to Jim Lane, Kate Cannon, Jason Burks and Scott Andrews for helping to make our final event so memorable.

Paul Bond…signing off for the Time Travelers network.

Wow, wasn’t Stevenson Rocks great fun? That kind of organization, involvement and attendance is incredible and a tribute to our community and school. And a special word of gratitude to everyone who stopped by the Sun Safety committee’s booth to find out more this effort and how to get involved.

The Sun Safety committee is working at full steam to accomplish the goal of building outdoor shade improvements at our school and needs participation from each family and extended family of Stevenson pupils, staff and alumni to guarantee success. With the primary focus of realizing the first shade installation on the playground by the beginning of the school year in August 2010, it is important to increase eScrip registration to include all Stevenson families right away. eScrip is the primary source of funding for this endeavor. In addition to the monies raised through eScrip (including Von’s & Macy’s program contributions) and Albertson’s and Ralph’s community fund raising programs, the committee is also researching and writing for grants and corporate donations to add to the monies needed. And soon, a program from GLscrip will be added to the mix. The first structure is estimated to cost $27,000 and to date we have raised $5,000.

Remember that signing up for these programs costs you nothing and sign up is safe and secure. By registering your loyalty cards to these stores, a percentage of your purchases will be earmarked for R.L. Stevenson Elementary and will go directly into this fund.
You can either give your loyalty card numbers directly to any committee member (in fact, you can email them to Michelle Thornsberry right now (shandy_michelle@yahoo.com) who will register for you or you can go online and register your own information in about 10 minutes. Find easy instructions at www.StevensonPirates.net/madeintheshade. Even if you have registered at some time in the past, it is worth taking a moment to log on and make sure your information is up-to-date and complete. Then, ask your extended family to register. The programs require reregistration yearly, so it’s worth checking it out right now to be sure that community monies that can be going into the school are not languishing untouched!

With that and this last edition of the Stevenson Pirates News, be sure to keep your hats on, sunscreen handy and enjoy the summer safely.