Thornhill Elementary PFC Newsletter

• Drumroll, Please... Annual Fund Final Results!

• ThornChill Fall Festival - It's Nearly Time!

• Get Cleared to Volunteer at ThornChill Fall Festival!

• Accepting Halloween Costumes and Clothes Hanger Donations For The ThornChill Fall Festival Costume Swap!

• Get Ready to Walk & Roll to School on October 9!

• How Warm Does the Classroom Get on a Hot Day? Volunteer Students Pilot a Research Initiative on Energy Use in Classrooms

• Inclusion and Belonging

• Picture Day is THIS WEEK: October 3 & 4

• Shop and Earn for Thornhill

• Calendar of Important Dates




Reminder: Picture Day is THIS Thursday and Friday!

After tallying all of the generous donations and incredible company matches, we are excited to report over the month of September we have raised . . .

$208,872

with 71% of families participating!

After taking into account the receipt of scheduled recurring payments, we will definitely reach our goal! Nice work, Thunderbirds! In the coming weeks we will be working diligently to get you the Thornhill swag you earned.

And now for the highly anticipated Popsicle Party results! The enthusiasm from each class was absolutely outstanding, it’s a record breaking year! Thanks to the teachers, room parents and families who made it such a close, exciting race! We will reach out to the classrooms to coordinate your party. Congratulations to…

Although the Annual Fund has come to an end, it’s not too late – we accept tax deductible contributions all year round! We would still love to see 100% of our families participate at any level. Your contribution will always go directly to the classroom and is critical in maintaining ALL the weekly experiences the PFC funds for our students.

It’s also never too late to submit a company match!

Did you know that you can double or triple your contribution by taking advantage of your corporate match benefit? Many companies, both large and small, will match donations made by their employees. To see if your employer offers matching gifts, visit Charity Navigator to submit a match request online.

We are so grateful for your support and partnership!

Stefani Miller, Selam Brown, Deepa Lounsbury & Annie Sartor

Annual Fund co-Chairs

annualfund@thornhillschool.org

We are getting excited to see you all this Saturday, October 5, 11:00-2:00pm at the ThornChill Fall Festival! Here is what you can expect on the day:

• 11:00 - The party starts with music and a taco grill!

• 11:30 - Try out delicious Passport potluck dishes, fun games and pumpkin crafts!

• 12:00 - Kids yoga class with our very own yoga teacher, Thornhill parent Louise Johns. Bring a yoga mat and join us!

• 12:30 - Dance-off #1- get your dance shoes on and move! Winners will be announced by our very special BAC judges’ panel!

• 1:00 - Celebrate Latino Heritage Month with storytime in our Latinx Reading corner.

• 1:30 - Dance-off #2 - get your dance shoes on and move! Winners will be announced by our very special BAC judges’ panel!

• 2:00 - Goodbyes
  
  

Thank you to everyone who has already signed up to donate items or to help out for the day! We still need your help to fill a final few items. Please consider signing up to donate supplies and Passport Potluck dishes on Konstella. We are still in need of a few more napkins, biodegradable plates and forks. We appreciate any help you can offer, no matter how small or large!

Remember, our Green Team will be running a water station so you can easily hydrate, so don’t forget to bring your refillable water bottle! Grab your family’s favorite potluck dish, a yoga mat and an outgrown Halloween costume and join us! We can’t wait to see you there!

Thank you,
Thornhill’s BIPOC Advisory Council (BAC)

Do you have kids’ Halloween costumes gathering dust in a closet? Consider donating them to the ThornChill Fall Festival Halloween Costume Swap! We are gathering your clean, kid-appropriate (nothing too scary or gory, please), and good-condition Halloween costumes for the costume swap. Families will be able to bring and browse the costumes at the ThornChill Fall Festival on October 5 and take home a new-to-you costume FOR FREE!!

A group of 4th and 5th grade students volunteered to audit classroom temperatures, energy consumption, and comfort levels during different times of the day on hot and cold days over the course of October. The goal is to understand how external weather impacts students' comfort in the classrooms and how much energy is used to improve indoor temperatures. The report will be shared with OUSD to start conversations on possible school energy upgrades. Thank you to Ms. Gustafson and Mr. Wilkins for their support!

From the Green Team

Hello Thunderbirds!

Besides all of the Halloween and fall fun coming your way in October, we would like to take a moment to remember some important celebrations that take place this month.

Global Diversity Awareness Month is a chance to remember how diverse our world is and how much richer the planet is because of it.

Celebrate by:

• Trying a dinner recipe from somewhere new; maybe choose a dish from this selection of Native American fare.

• Connecting with people in your community, visiting local museums and checking out Oakland events.

• Making an effort to stay informed of global events and reading books from diverse cultures to your kiddos, like The Kindest Red, by Ibtihaj Muhammad.
  
  

Check out what’s happening in Oakland to celebrate!

• Calli: The Art of the Xicanx People at the OMCA details here.

• Oaktoberfest in the Dimond, details here.
  
  

LGTBQ History Month takes place in October and is a chance to honor the long history of LGTBQI+ contributions to culture and society, as well as to remember the many battles the community has fought for equality and rights. Check out some LGTBQI+ icons here.

Or if you prefer a more local and personal account of the contributions that members of the LGTBQ+ community have made to Oakland, these audio stories and illustrations of Oakland’s very own LGTBQ+ ‘elders’ are amazing.

Finally, many of our friends will also be celebrating the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah, starting October 2-4 and Yom Kippur on October 11. These are the two holiest days in the Jewish calendar and are marked by traditions, prayer and fasting.

We wish you all a very happy October!

If you have ideas for supporting Inclusion and Belonging at Thornhill, please reach out any time at diversity@thornhillschool.org.

Thank you,
Inclusion and Belonging Team

Picture day is scheduled for Thursday, October 3 and Friday, October 4. Look out for an announcement from your teacher regarding which day your child will attend. If your child is absent on those dates, don't worry, a make-up day will be scheduled.

ShopRaise Partnership
We’re also excited to introduce our new partnership with ShopRaise this year! Whether you're buying daily essentials like groceries, shopping for home office furniture, or booking your next trip, the ShopRaise app allows you to raise funds for Thornhill Elementary while you shop online—all at no extra cost to you. Now, your everyday shopping can directly support our school. Click the link here to learn more and download the app.

The Thornhill Parent-Faculty Club (PFC) eNews team publishes this weekly newsletter each Tuesday in the school year to communicate school, PFC and OUSD news, events and information. We all have plenty of other things to do, but please try to read it weekly, as it will more than likely answer most questions you have about what’s up at school. Information about how to submit to the newsletter is below, but you can reach out to us at any time at newsletter@thornhillschool.org.

Email submissions to our Newsletter Chair, Annie Sartor, at newsletter@thornhillschool.org by 8 p.m. Thursday for approval—nothing sent after this will be included in the following week’s newsletter unless there are extenuating circumstances. It’s fine to include text in the body of the email with links and no formatting, and attach photos preferably as 150 x 150, 72 dpi JPG or GIFs only (not embedded in email or word file). Submissions may be edited for spelling, grammar, brevity and clarity. Advertising and items not related to Thornhill are not accepted, as we need to keep the newsletter focused on need-to-know info for the community.

THANK YOU to everyone who submits articles and to PFC Board Members, Teachers, PFC co-Presidents Becky Gonzales and Catrina Vrankovich, VP of Communications Jill Evans, and Principal Steve Daubenspeck, member of Oakland Unified School District (OUSD).