December is my favorite time of year. I love the lights, the sparkle, the cookies, and the season's magic. I love the smell of pine trees and how the whole house seems to shimmer in the evening light. I love the constant holiday music, mall Santa's, and the Hallmark Channel.

More importantly, I love how people take time out of their busy schedules to be thoughtful and think about others. I appreciate the sense of community, a sense of caring about others, and a sense of giving back that people have during this season.

When I was a very young teacher, I met Donna Boyd. Donna was an outstanding kindergarten teacher, she taught down the hall from me, and over time, she taught all of my children. Donna had a big personality, would light up a room with her laughter, and could get strangers on the street to donate to her worthy causes.

When I was young, I did not fully understand Donna. Although we were fierce friends, I did not understand why she rang bells for over 100 hours each year for the Salvation Army. I always took a shift or two, but 100 hours! I did not understand why she drove around town with care packages in her car and would frequently pull her car over and spend half an hour talking to a homeless person while delivering her care package. Donna also collected and washed hundreds of coats and blankets yearly for Tracy Interfaith ministries.

Donna helped spearhead our food collection each year, and with her help and encouragement, our school always filled the food bank's shelves. Donna adopted families at Christmas, bought school supplies for children she didn't know, sent shoes to hurricane victims, walked for the Cure, and went without so others had what they needed.

Many years ago, Donna created an organization called Santa's Helpers. The organization's premise was to recognize middle school students in need who showed great character at school. Over the years, hundreds of local students have been awarded the Santa's Helpers recognition and have been able to purchase Christmas gifts for their families, all thanks to Donna's fundraising efforts.

When I was having a hard day, Donna's classroom, with its colored macaroni, direct a draws on its walls, and bean plants in the windows, was my refuge. I loved listening to her stories about kindergarteners, the things they would say, the stories they would tell, and of course, there was always a poop story. I always left kindergarten laughing!

Donna's been gone for eleven years, and I can not help but think of her around the holiday season. She taught me how to be a better teacher and a better mom, and she reminded me that one day, I would miss all the hustle and bustle of driving three kids across town to sports practices. She taught me that a lab puppy could eat anything, including a couch and a Santa costume, and that giving back to your community is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself.

I wish you the very best this Holiday Season. Please take some time for your family, and perhaps you can follow my friend Donna's example and help out someone less fortunate than yourself.

From the Banta School and District offices to you and your family, I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Dr. Pearlman

December 7 - Breakfast with Santa

December 10 - Santa's Helpers

December 12 - Winter Program-All students- 5:00 pm

December 20- Early Release Day

December 21 - January 6- Winter Break

January 7- Kids return to school- Regular school day

January 10- Friday- Early Release Day

January 20 - NO School - MLK Day

This Saturday, December 7th, we will hold our Annual Breakfast with Santa event. We sold 255 tickets and are looking forward to a great morning with our families! Banta School would like to express our sincerest gratitude to the Tracy Breakfast Lions Club for preparing and cooking for our families. We are excited about the yummy pancakes and sausages we have coming our way!

We want to take a moment to express our sincerest gratitude to the staff who will be attending the event with their families and those who have and will volunteer their time (along with their families) to make the breakfast a warm holiday success! 🎄

A huge THANK YOU goes out to Teresa Lorentz, Molly Delgado, Jamie Eichele, Abby Castellanos, and Sandra Gonzalez for all of your hard work preparing for Breakfast with Santa and volunteering your time on Saturday. A huge shout out goes to all of the aides who helped us decorate the many Christmas trees in the gym—I can not thank you enough for our creativity!

To Mrs. Lorentz's brother, Mike, who will be our Santa - The joy and excitement you bring to the children's faces is always so appreciated! THANK YOU! 🎅

Finally, teachers - thank you for decorating the gym and working with our students to create their holiday displays! The gym looks beautiful.

Next Meeting:

Please join us at our monthly parent and staff meeting! January 13th!

Be kind • Be compassionate and show you care • Express gratitude • Forgive others • Help people in need

Myths about colds and the flu:

Colds and the flu are caused by going outside in cold weather
Colds and the flu can be caught by going outside with wet hair
Antibiotics are needed to treat a cold or the flu
The flu shot will give me the flu
The flu is just a bad cold

Facts about colds and the flu:
Viruses in the flu shot are not active or alive and cannot cause you to get the flu
Antibiotics do not treat or cure colds or the flu

Colds and the flu are caused by viruses.
The best way to prevent catching a cold or the flu is to get the flu vaccine, practice good hand hygiene, and get plenty of sleep.

Does Your Student Have Health Concerns?

Our priority here at Banta Elementary is to keep your kids safe at school. The best way for us to be able to do that is to be aware of any medical or health needs that your child may have. This could include medications that need to be brought to school or health conditions that we would need to know about in an emergency.

Did you know: California state law allows for students to keep medications at school? The law requires that the physician of the child complete a form that gives us all of the information that we would need to know to safely give that medication to your child. Please contact the school office if you would like a copy of the medication form!

This is our shortest month, but most exciting month for students. This year we have partnered with more local farmers. This month we are featuring a new fruit for the kids to try, Persimmons. All fruits from this vendor are picked and delivered within 48 hours! We are excited to hear what they think! We hope you all enjoy your break.

Banta students chased a turkey around the school playground on Nov. 21 for this year's Turkey Trot just before their November break. The students had a blast chasing our turkey volunteer, 8th Grader Angel, around the course. Pictured are our 8th-grade boy winners, who, together with their classmates, did something amazing!

Limit Social Media Profiles

Check all your child’s social media profiles and double-check the security setting on their accounts. Teach your kids the importance of security settings and how to be safe online. Show your kids how to use social media appropriately. How conversations in real life differ from conversations online. How to prevent cyberbullying and avoid problems coming from strangers.