Parent Center Announcements 12/16

A few announcements from the Parent Center....

1) There will be no newsletter in January. Our volunteers are working instead to get the new integrated website up and running at http://www.bretharteoakland.org.

2) To get a copy of the weekly announcements that are read to your student (with information about school activities, free dress days, etc.), please join Bobcat-connect, our community google group. One parent writes, "For me the best thing about Bobcat Connect is being kept up to date on the goings-on at our middle school. Also it is a good opportunity to be reminded about opportunities to stay involved as parents. Just my two cents." To join, reply to this email with "Join Bobcat-Connect" in the subject line.

3) If you live in area code 94619, we apologize that you did not receive the December newsletter due to a mix-up as we establish a new routine. You can read it online at http://www.bretharteoakland.org, and it will be mailed next month.

4) There are some very nice down coats in the lost and found. If your child is missing his or hers, please have him or her check the office tomorrow. Lost and found items will be donated on Friday.

5) Please bring any dress code clothing you would like to pass on to another family to the Parent Center. We have a stack of 6th-grade size clothing to give way to incoming students.

6) Open enrollment ends on January 15th. Make sure you take care to secure your child's next school if needed.

7) Most importantly, have a restful and joyous holiday with your family!

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The Bret Harte Parent Center
Nurturing a vibrant home-school connection.
510-482-7249

FROM THE HARTE e-newsletter - December 2009

Dear Parents and Community,

I hope you had a relaxing break, enjoyed some good food, and had a great time with your kids,

Attached is our December newsletter, FROM THE HARTE. Also attached is a flyer for the Winter Concert on December 9th.

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The Bret Harte Parent Center
Nurturing a vibrant home-school connection.
510-482-7249

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If you got two copies of this email, that means you are a member of bobcat-connect AND are subscribed to the parent center announcements. Bobcat-connect members can reply to this email with "Unsubscribe" in the subject line if you would like to receive only one copy.

If you would like an invitation to join bobcat-connect, our open parent/community google group, please reply to this email with "Join Bobcat-Connect" in the subject line.

If you would like to receive the monthly newsletter ONLY via email, please hit reply to this letter and type "NO PAPER" in the subject line. Please include the names of both parents in your household, your child's full name, and we also need your ZIP CODE.

What's going on at Bret Harte? Please send short articles, announcements of interest to the community, wish lists, questions, answers,  student writing and art to bhparentcenter@gmail.com by next Wednesday. Please put "Submission" in the subject line and be sure to include any pertinent contact information.

Re: FROM THE HARTE e-newsletter - November 2009

HERE is the attachment!  Sorry, technical difficulties. (The Parent Center computers are dinosaurs. We're hoping tech support arrives soon...)

On Wed, Oct 28, 2009 at 11:48 AM, Bret Harte Parent Center <bhparentcenter@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Parents and Community,

 

Attached is our November newsletter, From the Harte. You will also be receiving a hard copy in the mail within a week.

 

If you would like to receive the monthly newsletter ONLY via email, please hit reply to this letter and type "NO PAPER" in the subject line. Please include the names of both parents in your household, your child's full name, and we also need your ZIP CODE.

 

If you got two copies of this email, that means you are a member of bobcat-connect AND are subscribed to the parent center announcements. Bobcat-connect members can reply to this email with "Unsubscribe" in the subject line.

 

If you would like an invitation to join bobcat-connect, our open parent/community google group, please reply to this email with "Join Bobcat-Connect" in the subject line.

 

Finally, we are in always need of volunteers to assemble and mail the newsletter. We meet in the Parent Center (room 102) on the last Wednesday of each month. On November 18th, we will enjoy coffee and donuts as we copy and fold. Please reply to this email with "Volunteer" in the subject line.

Thank you!

 

--The Bret Harte Parent Center

Nurturing a vibrant home-school connection.

510-482-7249

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The Bret Harte Parent Center
Nurturing a vibrant home-school connection.
510-482-7249

FROM THE HARTE e-newsletter - November 2009

Dear Parents and Community,

 

Attached is our November newsletter, From the Harte. You will also be receiving a hard copy in the mail within a week.

 

If you would like to receive the monthly newsletter ONLY via email, please hit reply to this letter and type "NO PAPER" in the subject line. Please include the names of both parents in your household, your child's full name, and we also need your ZIP CODE.

 

If you got two copies of this email, that means you are a member of bobcat-connect AND are subscribed to the parent center announcements. Bobcat-connect members can reply to this email with "Unsubscribe" in the subject line.

 

If you would like an invitation to join bobcat-connect, our open parent/community google group, please reply to this email with "Join Bobcat-Connect" in the subject line.

 

Finally, we are in always need of volunteers to assemble and mail the newsletter. We meet in the Parent Center (room 102) on the last Wednesday of each month. On November 18th, we will enjoy coffee and donuts as we copy and fold. Please reply to this email with "Volunteer" in the subject line.

Thank you!

 

--The Bret Harte Parent Center

Nurturing a vibrant home-school connection.

510-482-7249

Announcements for the Week of October 26-30, 2009

All of the cartoons in the comics section of the newspaper today were about volunteering. Today must be national volunteering day or something!  

A big thank you to all in our community who volunteer! Your good will and presence in the lives of others makes the world go around.

Thank you to all of the Bret Harte volunteers who have made a difference already this year. Parents who bake something for a teacher's first friday coffee break, who organize an event, who connect with a teacher to help in a classroom or a lunch club, or sit at a table  Our kids are growing and volunteering themselves, now. Thank you to all the students who help a fellow student, do community service hours, or simply bend over and pick up a piece of trash or recycling.

So speaking of volunteering...

Community Work Day Tomorrow
This Saturday is Bret Harte's fall work day 10am - 2pm. Lunch provided.

We do this twice a year. We have lots of projects to work on and will be
cleaning up the school. We also have hundreds of bulbs from Keep Oakland
Beautiful to plant.

Every child should have received a flyer about the workday. They receive
credit for participating. Look for it in the depths of their backpacks!

We also need adults to come, to both supervise the kids and do work.

Please consider coming! It's lot's of fun.

We also have some projects requested by staff that require people with
specific handyman/carpentry skills. Do you? Know somebody? Please let us
know!

Questions? Leads? Call Jamie Fritz, workday coordinator: 305-9752  fritzoaklandfbd@aol.com 

Volunteer from Home or Work

We are still looking for a few good volunteers in the parent center this year. If anyone could take on one of these email tasks from home we could build a well-oiled communications-machine.

• A native Spanish speaker to proofread and forward internet-translated materials

• Someone to collect and post volunteer opportunities and wishlists online

• Someone to collect and compile Friday announcements

Please reply to this message if you are able to help!

Help at School Wednesday Oct. 28

• Come in to the Parent Center from 9-12 to help fold and mail newsletters. This is a great way to help and it's fun to socialize.
• Help set up and clean up snack sales for the Halloween party in the afternoon. Call Robin Ellis at 531-2500 or email robyn.ellis@sbcglobal.net.

In other news...

Eco-Metro Guides

Eco Metro Guides are wonderful coupon books for local and green businesses, and buying one will help AVID kids go to Yosemite. Ms. Warner has extended the ordering deadline through Monday, so reserve one this weekend! Email her at annekwarner@gmail.com with the number of books you'd like to purchase, and she'll set one aside for you. She will be accepting payments throughout the rest of October. They are $20 each and 1/2 of that goes to send our students to Yosemite.

Thank you for all your support!!!

---------------
The Bret Harte Parent Center
Nurturing a vibrant home-school connection.
3700 Coolidge Avenue
Oakland, CA 94602
510-482-7249

To be removed from this mailing list because you've left Bret Harte, are getting duplicate messages, or are subscribed to bobcat-connect, reply to this message with "Remove" in the subject line. To join bobcat-connect, reply to this message with "Join Bobcat-Connect" in the subject line.

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The Bret Harte Parent Center
Nurturing a vibrant home-school connection.
510-482-7249

Off to an Excellent Start!

Welcome to Bret Harte, all new and returning families!  We are off to an excellent start to the 2009-2010 school year.

Ninety-eight percent of our students returned to school dressed according to our dress code, which has given the year a very calm and unified feeling.  Thanks to the items of clothing donated by the class of 2013, our closet is well-stocked for students who come to school out of dress code.  I assist Juan Martinez, a student in Ms. Promes' class, in washing soiled dress code pieces.  Our Bret Harte polos are still available in the main office for $15 each.

During the second week of school, each student was given a binder, a planner, dividers, a pocket folder, a pencil case and a pencil sharpener.  Students are required to come to school with these items in their binder each day.  Advisory period is a ten-minute time slot added on to third period each day (except on Wednesday) to teach students how to be better organized.  We plan to use this time to teach all Bret Harte students how to study and be better test-takers.

Several new staff members have joined the Bret Harte community this fall. Mrs. Brown-Troutt in Room 210 teaches English 7 & 8; Ms. Barnes in Room 113 teaches Science 6; Mr. Nykin in Room 115 teaches Science 7; Mr. Dunn in Room 110 is our new Resource teacher; Ms. Cole in Room 212 is our new Special Day Class teacher; and Mr. Kennedy in Room 118 teaches Geometry and Algebra.  Each new member of our staff is doing an impressive job with our students. Please help me make each of these new staff members feel welcome at Bret Harte.

Thank you for all you've done to help your students get off to a great start. Let's keep working together to make sure our entire year will be as focused and productive!

— Ms. Teresa Williams, Principal