Newsletter – June 27, 2009

End of 2009-2009 School Year!

So here we are at the end of the 2008-2009 school year.  What a year it was!!  We welcomed our first African American President, saw three terrific musicals from our 5th grade class, suffered through the worst economy for some time, had a swarm of minor earthquakes, fought hard to keep teachers in classrooms and had a wonderful culmination ceremony with the 5th grade.  I look back on the year as one that went by very fast and kept me very busy.  I thank the teachers and the teacher assistants that continually put children first and give all they have for the students of Marquez.  I thank everyone on the Governing Board, the extraordinary parents that worked behind the scenes on fundraisers and Kids For Kindness programs, the Green Team, as well as all the parents that volunteer to make this school an especially happy and great place to learn.  Thank you Marquez!!

Good News

With thanks to Friends of Marquez, we will begin the 2009-2010 school year with small class size increases in kinder through 3rd grade, and a decrease in our class size in the upper grades.  Especially important is the continuance of our class size reduction strategies and the return of enrichments back into the hands of the teachers here at Marquez.  With that being said, I must remind you all that The Friends of Marquez budget assumes no decline in Circle of Giving and other key fundraisers for the upcoming school year.  Your ongoing generosity is the cornerstone of the Marquez programs and are absolutely necessary in order to continue to realize our vision for Marquez.

New Assistant Principal

As everyone already knows, Vida Brucker, our Assitant Principal is retiring.  As a direct result of budget cuts and constraints our AP position has been decreased to a part time position.  The AP will concentrate specifically on special education.  I have met our new AP and really like her.  I am sure you will as well.  Linda Brookover has been an AP for 5 years at Canfield Elementary School in mid-city Los Angeles. Prior to that she was a Literacy Coach for two years at West Hollywood, a teacher at Saturn for 12 years and before that, she taught in a two-way bilingual Spanish immersion program at Edison in Santa Monica USD.  She also has colorful work experiences outside the school system, in film production, market research and in the utility industry.  Her interests include food, travel, walking and kayaking. On the weekends you can find her in her garden, perhaps reading a magazine or plucking at her plants or walking around Santa Monica where she lives with her husband and a calico cat named Frida.  She is very happy to be  our .5 APand will look forward to meeting all the people of Marquez in September.  
I wish her a warm Marquez welcome.

Town Hall Meeting – Sept

In September we will begin our Town Hall meetings to review our Charter and get it ready for renewal and submission in October.  There will be a number of items that must be included as per the LAUSD agreement, but we will continue to include items that give us autonomy and decision making power with regards to staff selection, curriculum, and financial flexibility to name a few. I will keep you posted on the progress and ideas that we are incorporating as we move closer to submitting our final draft and then defending it against the school board which will happen early in 2010.

Special Community Sponsor

We are pleased to announce that Marquez Elementary has its second community sponsor. Pacific Palisades Dentistry has generously stepped forward to assist the school during these very uncertain economic times. Pacific Palisades Dentistry, the brainchild of Dr. Phil Kamins and Dr. Phil Trask, is dedicated to providing the best dental experience possible for the entire family.

“Dr. Phil” Kamins has been providing outstanding dentistry to this community for nearly 20 years.  He is well known and respected for his artistic talents in dentistry, his gentleness and his warm and caring approach.  His practice offers high tech dentistry, including laser dentistry, in a warm and caring environment.
Dr. Philip Trask is the only pediatric dental specialist here in Pacific Palisades. His years of experience and his love of children enable him to connect with even the youngest child as well as their parents.  His enthusiasm and his emphasis on preventing dental disease in children are supported by his years of clinical experience. Dr Trask is a diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, is on faculty at UCLA School of Dentistry, and is currently developing the pediatric dental training program at UCLA Santa Monica Hospital.

Please visit us at:
Pacific Palisades Dentistry
881 Alma Real Drive Suite 315
Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
Telephone:  (310) 459-3088
www.palismiles.com

Another Thank You!

Marquez also extends a great big thank you to the Goldberg family & Dan Urbach.  Dan was the realtor on the sale of the Goldberg’s home, and will make a donation of $5000 of his commission to Friends of Marquez, in the Goldberg’s name.  The Goldberg family got a great realtor, and will become a Songbird family in next year’s Circle of Giving;  Dan Urbach generously found a way to support Marquez through his work as a realtor.  We thank him for his support and we know that his contributions will go a long way in helping Marquez fulfill it’s commitment to our children.

School Starts on Wed, Sept. 9th

School resumes on Wednesday, September 9, 2009.  Please note that on Wednesday, September 9, 10 and 11, school will begin at 8:15 am and end at 1:50.  For kindergarten the school day on September 9, 10 and 11 will be from 8:30 am to 11:30 am.  Regular schedule will begin on Monday, September 14 where 1st – 5th grade will begin at 8:15 and dismiss at 3:00 pm Monday, Wednesday and Friday and 1:50 pm on Tuesday and Thursday.  The kindergarten regular schedule will begin at 8:30 am and dismiss at 1:30 pm Monday through Friday.

Enrollment

The school office will remain open until Tuesday, June 30.  It will reopen on Monday, August 17 for enrollment and other questions that may arise.  If you need to enroll a new child for kindergarten, please do so now!!  It is much better for us to know now that we can expect a student, rather than later in August.  Please let everyone know to enroll their child now!!

Final Thanks

Finally I would like to thank Robek’s Juice from the village for supplying our staff with refreshments for our final staff meeting of the year.  It was greatly appreciated.  If you patronize Robek’s please let them know Marquez appreciates their support. Next week is the 10th anniversary of Robeks Juice Store in Pacific 
Palisades.  The following is a quote from Robek’s Juice. “There is no better way to celebrate 10 yrs of success than 
to show my gratitude to those who are never thanked enough”.
  Regards,
 Sudhir Chaudhry, CPA

Have a Fun Summer

I wish everyone a happy, safe, fun summer.  I want to see everyone in September ready for school again.  Thanks.
This time I’ll sign off saying you might be able to reach me at phollis@lausd.net as I don’t have a reliable connection to the internetin Tahoe.   I will be checking email at various times when I get to an internet café. I will be at school until the 30th of June and will return on the 17th of August.  Have a great summer.
Phil Hollis