Cougar News

Dear Cougar Families,

After a fun week of celebrating our teachers and health office staff, this week we turn our focus toward our classified employees. These are the people who really keep our school running. It includes our office staff, instructional aides, our noon aides, and custodians. Without these people we would not be able to function.

If you're so inclined, take a moment to thank our classified staff this week. We will be celebrating them in house, but I'm sure they'd appreciate hearing from our families as well.

We have just 13 school days left before we bid adieu for the summer! Lots of fun things happening this week as we speed toward the finish line.

Tuesday: We have a French parent meeting at 5pm via Google Meet

http://meet.google.com/mdm-qpvt-tgh At this meeting we will discuss staffing, our interns and aides for next year as well as review our financials for the French program. The meeting will be recorded for those who may be unable to attend.

Also on Tuesday at 7pm we will have our final Bedtime Story with the Principal via Google Meet http://meet.google.com/xri-xnix-jkq and Facebook Live. This month's story is very near and dear to my heart. It was written by a dear friend of mine and illustrated by my daughter. But those are not the reasons I'm sharing it. Rainbows and Storms is the true story of two "heart friends" who are both diagnosed with congenital heart disease. These two young girls exemplify courage and resiliency in their daily approach to life.

Thursday we will host our final Cougar Values Awards assembly at 8am via your child's regular classroom link. This month we recognize one student from each classroom who consistently exemplifies all 7 of our Cougar Values. We call this our Cougar Mayor Award. We will also honor one student from each classroom who shows talent in all 4 arts disciplines: Music, Dance, Theatre and Visual Art. This award is our Artist in Residence Award.

Also on Thursday at 9am we will host our final school tour of the year via Google Meet

http://meet.google.com/iyt-zpxj-woh and our final ELAC meeting of the year will be recorded and sent out to families to view at their leisure.

And then on Friday and Saturday at 7:00pm we will host our Little Mermaid Jr. Drive In Movie experience on our playground. We still have a few spots left for each performance. Please read the details below the poster to make a reservation. No tickets will be sold at the door.

I wish you a wonderful weekend!

It's a great week to be an Altadena Cougar!

Yours in Service,

Dr. Scheckel, Principal

Join Dr. Scheckel at 7pm on Tuesday, 5/18/21 via Google Meet http://meet.google.com/xri-xnix-jkq and Facebook Live.

"Enter into the world of two young girls, each diagnosed with congenital heart disease, and witness how their unique paths translate into an instant connection between them. Their rare journeys, complete with surgeries at young ages and other complexities difficult for children to process, lends itself to forging a friendship that has given them the confidence to endure the lifelong fight against their CHDs and the emotional challenges that follow. The rainbows and storms the girls face side-by-side creates a special bond that helps carry them through challenges, yet also normalizes their childhood, including embracing their warrior zipper scar. Faith, hope, and love is instilled in the girls from their mothers and proves to be the anchor of all the uncertainty and their roadmap for learning to support each other along the way."

May is CalFresh Awareness month and what a great way to spread the news, but with our May Produce Distribution Day May 26. It is just around the corner. Our nutrition education and physical activity partners will also be hosting a parent food demonstration virtually the day after the produce distribution on May 27, 2021.

Order forms are available in the main office with Rosa. Cash or checks made out to PEF with AAM Yearbook in the message line will be accepted. If you already paid, please contact Dr. Hill at hill.dana@pusd.us If we we get more than 100 orders, we will order more. Questions, contact Dr. Hill.

The Little Mermaid is about ready to swim to the surface! We are hosting a drive in event on our playground on 5/21 and 5/22.

• Gates will open at 7pm and movie will begin at 7:45 pm.
• All health protocols will be followed.
• This is a pre-registered event only. No one will be admitted at the gate who has not preregistered.
• Event is limited to 50 cars per night.
• Concessions will be sold at Ariel's Dinglehopper Cafe lovingly organized by parent, Lana Medina and her committee.
• Limited cast t-shirts will be available for sale. If you'd like to preorder a shirt, contact parent Jennifer Nishizaki at aamtheatrearts@gmail.com
• Register to attend at the link https://forms.gle/HGsdrdNwp1pXzsRy7

Let's get ready to go under the sea with Ariel and her friends!

Before leaving home all students, employees and parents must conduct a self check. Ask yourself these questions:

• Do I have a fever?

• Do I have a cough?

• Am I experiencing shortness of breath or difficulty breathing?

• Am I experiencing any other symptoms?

• Have I been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 14 days?

• In the last two weeks, have I been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19?

If you respond "yes" to any of the questions, you must stay home and it is recommended that you contact your primary care physician for further medical advice. If you have a fever with cough or shortness of breath, you are urged to contact your primary care physician as these symptoms may be attributed to COVID-19. To protect others, stay home, wear a facemask when you seek medical care and follow the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s Home Isolation Instructions. For more detailed symptom self-checker visit the Los Angeles County Public Health Department’s COVID-19 Symptom page.

Bonjour familles!

Please join me on Tuesday, May 18 @ 5pm via Google Meet to find out more:

http://meet.google.com/mdm-qpvt-tgh

At the meeting we will discuss our financials, intern and aide planning for next year, and staffing updates. The meeting will be recorded for those who are unable to attend.

Intern Information:

Jules Bachelot has completed his bachelors degree in teaching at the University of Rouen in Normandy. He will begin his Masters degree studies remotely while working with us at AAM. He is an American film buff with a particular interest in science fiction and he loves the NBA! Jules has been placed with the DeWitt family for the beginning of the school year. We are looking for other families to host Jules in mid October-June.

Stanislas Laurent has two bachelors degrees, one in English and Russian studies and the other in English literature. He lives in the eastern part of France near Switzerland. Stanislas loves music and is excited to join the AAM family! Stanislas has a potential placement with the Voznick family August-December and will be with the Comfort family January-June.

Thank you to all our families who have come forward to host!

Both young men are 23 years old, non-smokers and want to be teachers when they finish school. One of them will focus on the K-2nd graders while the other focuses on the 3-5 graders. After winter break, we will switch so that all students get to work with both interns.

Fundraising Thank you to all our families who took up the cause to raise money for our French speaking aides. Both Madame Livengood and Mademoiselle Sanchez now have aides working in their classrooms. Merci! It is now time to turn our attention to fundraising efforts for our two French interns. You will be hearing more at our meeting on May 18 on exact totals we need to raise in order to host both interns.

We are also so excited to welcome Koko into our community in May. Remember when I spoke about a virtual intern at no cost to us? Well we finally have a candidate for the end of this school year. His name is Kokora (Koko) Martial and he is from the Ivory Coast in the Côte d'Ivoire region of Africa. Koko has been serving as a substitute Kindergarten teacher at a Catholic school. The FDLIP team and myself are planning some fun ways to collaborate with Koko in our various classrooms. Please stay tuned for more information coming from your teachers.

Grants Dr. Scheckel completed and submitted the $4000.00 FACE intern grant and Mlle Durant completed and submitted the $10,000.00 FACE materials grant. Now we wait patiently to see if either or both of these grants are awarded to AAM.

That is all for now. I wish you a wonderful rest of your weekend!

Dr. Scheckel

Meet Jules!

Jules will begin his time in America with the DeWitt family. We are still looking for a family to host Jules later in the school year. Please reach out to Dr. Scheckel if you are interested.

His resume is attached here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XyTGY52gxNpCDg8mzCrUG1IGlDRXBbs2/view?usp=sharing

Meet Stanislas!

Stanislas will spend the second part of the school year with the Comfort family. We are still looking for a family to host Stanislas for the beginning of the school year. His bio is attached here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/145jysz7NSHllAFrGFnVgN5sdLLXto3Lh/view?usp=sharing

The 2021 Nominating Committee is pleased to present the 2021-22 Executive Board Slate. Each candidate on this slate has participated in a vetting process, including submitting an application and being formally interviewed by members of the nominating committee.

President: Sarah Bell
Vice President: Charlotte Dewaele
Treasurer: Linda Sapin
Secretary: Lee Ann Cornell, Ed.D
Historian: Jennifer Nishizaki

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

6pm Virtual Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/96429813490?pwd=ZGtEMWtEdnpGSlpvSmhBMm5oNzNTZz09
Meeting ID: 964 2981 3490
Passcode: 498376

Sarah Bell, President

Sarah has been an AAM parent since 2016 and has been a board member of the PTA since 2018. Sarah is a career public servant and has spent a large portion of her tenure leading school and education based civic engagement programs, working with diverse communities and constituencies, and assisting members of the public with access levels of local government. She excels at managing complex and often controversial issues, mediating concerns, and crisis communication. Sarah is a member of the PUSD Special Education Community Advisory Committee where she represents AAM.In her free time Sarah enjoys reading, watching British television shows, and spending time with her AAM Cougar, Raylan.

Charlotte Dewaele, Vice President

Charlotte joined the AMM PTA board in 2019. She has served as the board's secretary over two school years. Charlotte is a Design Director in the Fine Jewelry industry. In her professional life, Charlotte is a sought after leader and mentor, called upon to train and guide her colleagues, as well as provide sound advice to move creative projects forward. Charlotte is a life-long volunteer leader who has been sharpening her leadership skills since her time as a member of her student government board. She went on to serve as parliamentarian of her college sorority, on the parent board of her daughter's preschool, and is a Girl Scout Leader for her daughter Emilia's troop.

Linda Sapin, Treasurer

Linda joined the AAM PTA board in 2020 but has been an active member and volunteer with the PTA since joining the AAM family in 2018. Linda has devoted her professional life to helping young people. Her first job was as a program coordinator at an elementary school, and after college she continued working with children and their families as a child therapist for nearly a decade. Linda is passionate about providing equitable resources and opportunities to the AAM community.

Lee Ann Cornell, Ed.D, Secretary

Lee Ann and her family joined the AAM family in 2019. In her professional career, Lee Ann is an experienced admissions and student affairs professional. She is considered an expert writing coach with a demonstrated history of working with young adults and in the higher education industry. Skilled in Counseling, Admissions, Academic Advising, Public Speaking, Curriculum Development, and Program Development, Lee Ann is a strong education professional with a Doctorate of Education focused in Higher Education Administration from University of Southern California.

Jennifer Nishizaki, Historian
Jennifer has served as part of AAM's School Site Council since 2017 when her family became a part of the AAM community. In 2018-2019 she served on the PTA board as the communications director and membership coordinator. While serving in these roles she created and organized the Wacky Fun Run, AAM's biggest fundraiser, serving as chair the following year as well. Jennifer is also the administrator of AAM's PUSD website, a position she has held since Spring of 2019. She has utilized her prodigious organizational and communications skills for numerous AAM activities, most recently in service of the 2021 spring musical The Little Mermaid. Jennifer is also a Speech Language Pathology Assistant and serves as a children's choir director for preschool and early elementary aged students.

(Please note, only members in good standing will be permitted entrance into the election meeting and be eligible to vote. According to the AAM PTA Bylaws, a member in good standing is someone who has been an active member for 30 or more days and has paid their dues.)

We are happy to share that Paper, digital tutoring service, is now available for your 3rd-5th graders! The service has already been a big support to PUSD 6th-12th grade students and teachers.

Here are Paper slides (English & Spanish) made earlier when we launched at secondary.

Due to low attendance, our monthly ELAC meetings are being pre-recorded. See April meeting here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-mTdXju5FDld6xDsLLi7pTAmy2gqjvFJ/view?usp=sharing

May

● 5/18 Bedtime Story with the Principal @ 7pm via Google Meet http://meet.google.com/xri-xnix-jkq and Facebook Live

● 5/20 Cougar Values Awards Assembly @ 8am via regular classroom link

● 5/20 School Tour @ 9am http://meet.google.com/iyt-zpxj-woh

● 5/20 Volunteer Appreciation 5pm Invitation Only

● 5/25 Cafe con Scheckel @ 9am http://meet.google.com/fop-zovd-zef

● 5/26 Special PTA Meeting @ 6pm Zoom link will be sent out separately

● 5/27 Evening of the Stars DETAILS TBD

● 5/31 Memorial Day/No School

June

● 6/1 Kinder promotion DETAILS TBD

● 6/2 Fifth Grade Promotion DETAILS TBD

● 6/3 Last Day of School/Shortened Day

Email: scheckel.benita@pusd.us
Website: https://www.pusd.us/Page/9
Location: 743 East Calaveras Street, Altadena, CA 91001, United States
Phone: 626-396-5650
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/altadenacougars/
Twitter: @altadenaES