The Blazer Bulletin

Hello Trailblazers!

I hope that everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving week off from school. We came back to school ready to learn and grow. One of the highlights of my week was watching a worm science experiment in Mrs. Lasho's 5th grade class and playing Uno Flip for Fun Friday with students in Mrs. Morshead's class.

We announced the Disneyland gift card recipients at Friday's community gathering. Read below for the names of the winners!

I am looking forward to the next two weeks before we all enjoy another break.

Warmly,

Teri Heard

Your Very Proud Principal

December 11: Foundation Meeting

December 13: VAPA VISION

December 17: Band/Orchestra Concert

December 20: Community Gathering

December 23-January 5: District Recess

Get ready to get in the holiday spirit. Our 5th grade students have been working hard all year to learn how to play either a band or orchestra instrument. They will have their first concert on Tuesday, December 17 in the MPR. Orchestra students will perform at 9am and Band students will perform at 11:20am. Parents are welcome and encouraged to come watch the performance. Our 3rd and 4th grade classes will also have the opportunity to watch one of the concerts.

Dr. Benjamin Churchill, PUSD's new Superintendent, has just finished his first week on the job. He wants to hear directly from students, staff, and families. Once a week, he plans to post a video on PUSD's social media platform answering your questions.

You can share your questions directly with your teacher or with Principal Heard. We will make sure we send your questions into him for review.

I want to congratulate all of our students for adjusting to our new cafeteria rules. Our students are successfully able to stay seated during their eating time (they may get up to use the restroom or grab an item from the share bin), keep the area clean, and be respectful to adults. We will be sitting in the front cafeteria area only in order to better monitor students.

I am very proud of how well they are following the rules!

Unfortunately, our Safety Patrol has reported increased levels of unsafe driving. We have parents disobeying traffic regulations, shouting at students, and causing potentially dangerous situations. Our Safety Patrol is comprised of 5th grade students. It is very difficult for them to have parents shout and ignore them. I am asking for your partnership in supporting our drop off and pick up process.

Please be our partners in ensuring safety during drop off and pick up. We simply ask you to adhere to the stop signs, pull all the way up in the bus/staff loop, and refrain from parking cars in the bus/staff loop areas. What seems like a minute for you to find your child, impacts the efficiency of the drop off/pick up process and causes potential hazards. Parents are encouraged to park in a designated parking spot if you need to get out of your car for any reason.

We appreciate your partnership in keeping our school a safe place!

As the holidays approach, we know that some families may be planning an extended absence. Please note that district policies allow for students to earn credit for missed days through an OCIS (off campus independent study) contract. This contract may be used for up to 15 days of absence. Please reach out to Mrs. Rubino, our Health Tech, if your child is planning on an extended absence and she can support you with the OCIS process. Mrs. Rubino's email is rrubino@powayusd.com.

Absences beyond 15 days have additional implications. It is very important that you reach out and communicate these absences with the school as soon as possible.

As the holiday season approaches, we are reminded of the importance of community, kindness, and supporting one another. At Stone Ranch, we recognize that this time of year can be especially challenging for some of our families. In the spirit of giving, we are reaching out to ask for your help in making the holidays brighter for those in need within our school community.

Keep an eye out for our “Giving Tree” which will be located in the front entryway. If you are able to, please consider donating a gift card that will directly support families. The tree will have "ornamental leaves" with gift ideas or gift card amounts. You can simply select one of the "ornamental leaves" and return it with the designated item.

If your family is in need of support and you would like to receive help, please reach out to our school counselor, Ms. Nikki, via email. This is completely confidential. Our goal is to ensure that every child and family feels cared for and supported, no matter their circumstances.

Nouellette@powayusd.com

Thank you for your support and kindness,

Nikki Ouellette, School Counselor

Wahoo!! PTA is very happy to announce the winner of the Classroom PTA Membership Contest is Ms Hodel's 2nd grade class! Ms Hodel's class won a party of their choice and a $100 gift card. Thank you to all of the parents who purchased PTA memberships so far this year. If you haven’t already joined, it’s not yet too late. Join the PTA now and help fund amazing programs for our kids!

Get ready for some magical news! We have some families and staff members who have entered our foundation raffle for a chance to win Disney gift cards! Whether they are dreaming of a trip to the parks, unforgettable merchandise, or movie nights at home, this raffle is for gift cards that will bring the magic of Disney straight to the winner. Let’s see who our lucky winners will be!

The Foundation decided to select 4 winners. The winning students are:

1. Vihaan and Avyaan Boda (One gift card)

2. Olivia and Hannah Stames (One gift card)

3. Gavin Tejidor

4. Jason Hillmer

Congratulations! Thank you for supporting our foundation! The proceeds for this raffle will go straight to the school to support all the special things that we do at Stone Ranch.

This week Sprint Squad will meet on Tuesday 12/10 instead of Thursday 12/12.

Ralph’s and the Kroger family have long supported schools in passive fundraising efforts but we need 5 minutes of your time to help us get a piece of the pie! This is an incredibly easy way to help us raise money for Stone Ranch! Up to 4% of your purchases come directly back to our school.

Even if you have done this in the past you will need to do this again! There are two easy ways to make this happen. The easiest way is to download the Ralphs app, sign up for an account or login to your account if you already have one. In the top right hand corner click the three little lines. A drop down menu will appear. Click “Rewards”, then click “Community Contributions” and search for our school. That’s it!

Alternatively, if you do not want to download the app, you may create an account on the Ralphs website and then follow these steps:

• Scroll to the bottom of the page

• Look under Community

• Click on Ralphs Community Rewards

• Under instruction Number 2 - Link your card to an Organization

• Go to Number 2 - Search for your Organization here (click Here)

• You may have to sign in again

• Search for Stone Ranch Elementary School PTA (organization number DB957)

• Add to your account

Every year during this season we put up a tree in the front office that is adorned with wish lists from children in PUSD. This year, Stone Ranch is committed to helping 9 children that are part of the Stone Ranch community. On the tree you will find apples, leaves and pumpkin pies that contain these wish lists as well as gift card options that can be used to support these children or other families in PUSD. Items will be put on the tree on Monday, December 2nd. Please come by the office starting December 3rd to pick an apple, leaf or pie and help us give back this season. All unwrapped items need to be returned to the front office no later than December 18th. Please contact presidentsres@gmail.com if you have any questions.

The Parent Ambassadors of PUSD's Special Education Department are offering a special holiday presentation to the families of students with special needs. Please share the following information with the families of your school site. We appreciate your support.

Knowledge & Network

Special Holiday Presentation

Tools to Find JOY in Your Family's Busy Seasons

Tuesday, December 10, 2024, 9:00-10:30 am

Make the holidays brighter and less stressful! Tina Campbell, Writer, and Chaos Coordinator will be speaking on the topic Tools to Find JOY in Your Family's Busy Seasons. Learning objectives include identifying the stressors and embracing the love of the season, obligations vs. celebrations, gift giving and receiving conversations, etc.

Please join us in person in the Community Room at the PUSD District Office, located at 15250 Avenue of Science, San Diego, CA 92128, or on Zoom. Meeting ID: 539 621 4111 Passcode: 370586. Please RSVP here.

Please complete the free/reduced-price meal application! Although school meals are free for all students, the application for free and reduced-price meal eligibility is still very important. School funding depends in part on the number of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals. If income-eligible families do not apply, we risk losing important educational funds for our school.

Students who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals may also qualify for discounts on testing fees, before and after school care, and home internet! Income qualifications change annually, so a new application is needed every school year. For school year 2024-2025, children from a family of four are eligible if the total gross (pre-tax) household income is less than $4,810 per month, or less than $57,720 per year. Household income information is confidential and applying online is quick and easy. Apply online at MySchoolApps.com, or pick up a paper application in the

Nondiscrimination Philosophy and Policy Statement

The Poway Unified School District (PUSD) is an equal opportunity employer/program and is committed to an active Nondiscrimination Program. PUSD prohibits discrimination, harassment, intimidation, and bullying based on actual or perceived race, color, ancestry, national origin, nationality, immigration status, ethnicity, ethnic group identification, age, religion, marital or parental status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or gender expression or association with a person or a group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics. For more information, please contact: Title IX/Equity Compliance Officer, James Jimenez, Associate Superintendent of Personnel support Services, Poway Unified School District, 15250 Avenue of Science, San Diego, CA 92128, 1-858-521-2800, extension 2121, jjimenez@powayusd.com. For students, you may contact Title IX Coordinator/504 Coordinator Jamie Dayhoff, Director of Attendance and Discipline, Poway Unified School District, 1-858-521-2840, jdayhoff@powayusd.com.

Stone Ranch Mission: To create an environment where each and every child feels safe, valued, and inspired to be their authentic self.

Principal email: theard@powayusd.com

Website: stoneranch.powayusd.com

Location: 16150 4S Ranch Parkway, San Diego, CA 92127

Phone: 858-487-8474